Double titling likely in Embakasi West, MPs say

Members of Parliament have raised alarm over possible double issuance of title deeds in Embakasi West. 

The MPs said this may result if the five law firms involved in the processing of the titles fail to work together. 

The law firms were engaged by the city county to facilitate deeds for landowners who paid Sh 30,000 each.

Two firms which have appeared before the National Assembly Lands Committee painted a picture of an uncoordinated process that lacked basic documentation of the beneficiaries. 

Kamau Mbugua from Mbugua Atudo Advocates told the session chaired by Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani his law firm was in receipt of 967 ownership documents. 

But appearing before the same committee last week, Musyoka Annan's law firm talked of separately processing 822 titles. 

“What we received were allotment letters and by now we have prepared 967 ownership documents, out of which 566 leases have been executed by the owners. Some of the allotments were done in the 1970s,” Mbugua told the committee. 

He was appearing to shed light on a petition filed by Embakasi West residents, through MP George Theuri, faulting the Nairobi county government of taking the money since 1993 with a false promise of issuing title deeds.

“The county government contracted us and four other firms with whom we have been doing this job. I am not aware how many titles have been prepared by the Musyoka  Annan Anna firm; I also do not know if they are holding any mother title.”

The MPs expressed fear the uncoordinated processing might lead to the same individuals being awarded ownership documents. 

“Another firm appeared before us last week and they said they were holding five head titles and you have already admitted that you are not even aware of the 822 titles they have processed. How sure are you that you are not processing leases and titles for the same parcel of land?” Mwashetani posed.

Musyoka Annan, whose firm was contracted in 1993, last week told the committee chaired by Kitui South MP Rachel Nyamai that City Hall has failed to corporate with the firm and has been sitting on several lease documents forwarded to it for registration. 

He said at one point, all survey documents mysteriously got lost in the county land offices in Dandora and Ruaraka, thus slowing the process down.

Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny urged the law firms to work on a clear guideline to eliminate any chances of double titling. 

“We[committee] need to know how you and other firms will work together because it is true that before you were brought on board, there was another firm that was doing this work," Kutuny said.

He added, "We need to know that you are not repeating a process that has been done before." 

(Edited by R.Wamochie)