Kenyan Govt to Waive KSh 6b in Interest to Unlock Thousands of Title Deeds
- Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alice Wahome stated that she had already prepared a Cabinet memo on the waiver issue
- Wahome revealed that thousands of title deeds were still uncollected in other land registries throughout the nation
- Wahome said that she had instructed ministry personnel to conclude all settlement programs as per the Constitution
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The Ministry of Lands intends to waive more than KSh 6 billion in interest on unpaid settlement fees in order to assist land allottees in obtaining unclaimed title deeds across the country.
Source: Twitter
Speaking during the Malindi Land Registry's launch, Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alice Wahome stated that she had already prepared a Cabinet memo on the matter and forwarded it to the Treasury CS and the Attorney General (AG).
"I have a pending Cabinet memo, which I have sent to the AG and the CS Treasury. We have also discussed with the President, so if it is agreeable, we will waive the interest on the fees," she stated, as reported by the government newspaper, MyGov.
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What challenges are landowners facing?
The leaders, who included Kaloleni and Malindi MPs Paul Katana and Amina Mnyazi, National Assembly Deputy Majority Leader Owen Baya (Kilifi North), and Malindi governor Gideon Mung'aro, noted that the costs had made it difficult for the locals to obtain their titles.
Wahome admitted that 33,000 documents were unclaimed in the recently established Malindi Lands Registry, while thousands of title deeds were still uncollected in other land registries throughout the nation.
She urged settlement scheme recipients to pay the 'small fees' as soon as possible and pick up their ownership certificates, stating that title deeds should be securely stored by holders for the protection of their property.
Source: Twitter
What was Wahome's directive?
At the same time, Wahome said that she had instructed ministry personnel to conclude all settlement programs that had been in place since 1960 and provide beneficiaries with title deeds to make discharge available.
In line with government policy derived from the 2010 Kenya Constitution, she requested that foreigners who held title deeds for freehold and 999-year leases renounce them and be given 99-year leases instead.
About 7,000 new title deeds for various settlement plans and adjudication sections have been finalised in Kilifi county, according to Wahome, who said she will shortly return to the coastal county to distribute them to recipients.
According to the CS, adjudication work is presently being done in a number of Kilifi County locations, including Wakala, Kibokoni, Chakama Phase III, Adu/Kamale, and Pumwani Phase III.
What did Ruto pledge?
In other news, President William Ruto intervened with a firm declaration that has the potential to change long-standing conflicts and environmental management in Narok county.
Ruto announced that members of the Maasai community will receive an extra 6,000 acres of the disputed Kedong Ranch land.
In addition to being a common site of judicial and political disputes, the area is home to important national infrastructure, such as the Naivasha Inland Dry Port.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
