Murang'a lands registry digitisation to be completed in a week, PS Korir

The Ministry of Lands will complete the process of digitizing documents in the Murang’a lands registry in a week.

Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir who visited the office in Murang’a town on Thursday confirmed that the process is 90 percent done.

The PS said only 40,000 out of 285,000 documents are yet to be uploaded to the system, saying that once the process is complete, the system will be opened for use by the public.

He noted that a similar digital platform dubbed Ardhi Sasa has been established in the Nairobi registry and is already being accessed by members of the public.

“Once it is complete, all members of the public will need to access the portal to open an account to conduct online transactions,” he said.

Among the services to be accessed online, he explained, are applications for title deeds and land registration.

“There will be a customer care desk here in Murang’a to guide members of the public on how to use the portal,” Korir added.

The digitization, he said, will make it easier for landowners to access services while locking out cartels that have for years extorted desperate residents.

He said the cartels have been interfering with the registry to con people, resulting in numerous incidents of missing files and illegal transactions among other malpractices.

The digital platform will bring to an end dubious land transactions that have condemned many families to abject poverty.

Registries in Isiolo, Lamu, Mombasa, Tana River and Marsabit counties are also in the process of being digitized, Korir confirmed.

He said the challenges experienced during the digitization of the Nairobi registry have made it easier for the ministry to digitize others.

“The process of digitizing all registries may take some time because of outdated maps and other documents."

The PS said his department will partner with EACC and DCI to bring to book culprits who attempt to use the system to defraud innocent Kenyans.

The digitization was hailed by residents who said seeking services at the registry has been a time-consuming and expensive venture.

“This registry has for a long time been manipulated by brokers and cartels, and sometimes, a simple process takes years, making it difficult for poor families,” Njogu Kanyi, a resident of Maragua, said.

He expressed optimism that digitization will enhance transparency and reduce incidents of people being conned.

Land succession issues have been blamed for insecurity, gender-based violence and murder cases in the county.