- Badi says the entity issued 2,400 title deeds within its first 100 days in office in 2020.
- The NMS boss lauded the National Land Information Management System which has aided in identifying residents with fake title deeds.
Image: NAIROBI METROPOLITAN SERVICES
The National government is set issue 200,000 title deeds to Nairobi landowners which will aid unlock the city's business and investment potential.
Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched a programme aimed at issuing over a million title deeds in different parts of the country.
Nairobi Metropolitan Services director general Mohammed Badi announced that 3,456 titles are ready for issuance while 6,500 have been processed.
“Currently, 3,456 titles are ready for issuance, 6,500 have been processed and due for printing, while 6,000 are undergoing processing at the Ministry of Lands,” he said.
NMS in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands in 2020 embarked on a joint programme to fast-track processing, registration and issuance of land titles to property owners in Nairobi, a venture that is targeting landowners in informal settlements in the city.
Badi acknowledged that the entity issued 2,400 title deeds within its first 100 days in office in 2020.
The NMS boss lauded the National Land Information Management System which has aided in identifying residents with fake title deeds.
He said the platform, known as Ardhi Sasa, has streamlined the title deed issuance process in the county.
“When NMS started issuance of title deeds it was a nightmare for us because of fake title deeds. But now with digitisation from the Ministry of Lands, we'll be able to get hold of all those con people who have hold of fake title deeds,” Badi added.
Image: NAIROBI METROPOLITAN SERVICES
The system was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta last year in April.
The platform requires the Lands ministry to digitise land records, streamlining records of transactions and ownership.
It is aimed at eliminating fraud, corruption and manipulation of critical land records. It is also expected to reduce the long queues at the registries.
Ardhi Sasa has limited or removed the human element and interaction as much as possible to frustrate land cartels.
It has also made life easier for landowners and buyers who endure frustrations at land offices countrywide.
In November 2020, NMS started issuing title deeds to 2,200 property owners in Eastlands, ending 40 years of anxiety.
According to NMS, inheritance problems involving disagreements among family members delayed the process.
Administrative issues contributed to the setback while NMS had to make new arrangements to allow for compliance with Covid-19 protocols.
President Kenyatta launched the issuance of Eastlands title deeds on May 30,2018, at Jacaranda grounds in Embakasi.
He was to issue 50,000 documents, but the process was halted in 2019 after the discovery that the land had been allotted illegally.
Some land dealers had forged ownership documents and sold the property to private developers.
At the time, former Governor Mike Sonko said his administration would conclude the exercise after an audit to identify the genuine landowners.
The governor said land grabbers were among those listed as the beneficiaries and had to be removed from the list.
Another setback was the requirement that the property owners pay the Sh30,000 legal fee before their title deeds were processed.
On August 21, Uhuru revived the process and issued 2,100 title deeds to Kayole, Dandora, Mathare, and Kariobangi landowners.
A further 28,000 title deeds were to be issued to members of Embakasi Ranching Company in the ongoing national titling exercise in which over 500,000 documents have been issued since 2013.