Murang'a residents have lauded the government for implementing reforms to streamline land services.
The changes initiated by the Lands ministry include digitisation of records to improve access to services and fast-track transactions through Ardhi Sasa, an online platform.
Miriam Wanjiku, a resident, said thousands of families are relieved after years of succession battles in courts of law. She said many people visiting land registries kept being sent back for months without getting help, with the delay causing a serious backlog of cases.
She said the process was so long and tedious that it allowed the moneyed to manipulate it and dispossess the poor of their parcels.
Wanjiku said digitised records make it easy for landowners to check the status of their parcels and ease ownership transfer.
“The way it has been, sometimes you do a search on your land and find that it has four other owners. This has been a major source of heartache,” she said.
“But the reforms have now made the process transparent and easy for anybody to access."
Murang'a health executive Joseph Mbai also weighed in on the issue, saying land disputes have split many families, some of which resort to violence.
Mbai spoke on Saturday during the issuance of title deeds by Broad Borders, a real estate company. He praised the county administration for starting an alternative land disputes resolution programme.
The programme involves registering families with land disputes. Governor Mwangi wa Iria launched it two weeks ago. It has been rolled out to the eight Murang'a subcounties.
The county has partnered with Mt Kenya University whose law students have volunteered to help. So far, hundreds of residents have benefitted.
Mbai termed it crucial to eliminate cartels that have made it a nightmare to acquire land.
“Theft of land, which has caused many families immense pain, needs to be stopped,” he said, expressing hope that the reforms by the government will help weed out criminals.
Broad Borders chairperson Jeremy Karemeri said with Ardhi Sasa, which allows Kenyans to access land services, unscrupulous dealings that have occasioned theft of land will be curbed.
“People can now access services such as a search from the comfort of their homes and save time. Payments can also now be done through a Paybill number,” he said.
He said land officers have been trying to deal with a huge backlog of cases, resulting in a longer turnaround time.
Karemeri further cautioned potential land buyers to always follow due process to avoid being defrauded. This is the only way cartels can be kicked out of the sector, he said.
“Do not be in a hurry, do due diligence. All parties involved have a role to play in the process,” he said.
Karemeri noted that the company had to review its agreement with many of its members given the Covid-19 pandemic that ruined lives and made it impossible for many to complete their land payments.
Those who felt they could not continue with the payments had their money refunded, he said, noting that with the economy now picking up, Broad Borders is hoping to make up for the lost time.
The company issued 1,064 title deeds to members who completed their payments.
