President William Ruto has stripped the National Lands Commission (NLC) of its powers to evaluate lands in the country.
In a move he said was aimed at sealing corruption holes in compensation, Ruto said the exercise would henceforth be done by the Ministry of Lands to ensure all Kenyans get equal compensation.
“Pale kwa lands commission imekuwa soko, mtu unaenda hapo unalipa pesa kidogo, shamba ya laki moja inakuwa milioni moja na kwa sababu hujatoa pesa shamba yako ya milioni moja inakuwa elfu mia moja,” Ruto said.
(Lands commission has become a market, if you have money you can bribe your way. A piece of land that goes for Sh1 million ends after a valuation being Sh100,000)
Ruto made the disclosure at Isiolo Boys School grounds during a religious service organised by Christians and Muslims
"That nonsense must stop. Kenyans are asking why is it that six years ago you were paying Sh5, six years later you are paying Sh2...it is because we have a problem," he stated.
To ensure accountability, the head of state said the Commission will no longer decide where the compensation will happen, who is going to benefit, and how much it should be awarded.
"We must separate for accountability, NLC will do its work and the ministry which has the powers will do the work," he said.
According to Ruto, this was the cause of problems being witnessed in various parts of the country noting he is not going to condone corruption.
Land valuation is a process that entails assessing the property's location to examine its size and condition.
Valuers analyse several aspects of the property before arriving at a market price by mainly considering the locality, state of repairs and maintenance of the property, and soil characteristics.
Other variables include topography, geological and environmental components, financial factors, and prevailing macroeconomic and fiscal policies.
Ruto's announcement comes a few days after he cracked the whip at Kemsa and Kebs sacking various officials over corruption allegations.
