Evictions and demolitions on land acquired controversially across the country have made Kenyans more cautious while purchasing land, experts have said.
The Association of Real Estate Stakeholders said more Kenyans are increasingly conducting due diligence before buying land or property as opposed to previous years.
They said scenes witnessed during demolitions like the ones carried out on East African Portland Cement land in Athi River in October acted as an eye-opener for Kenyans intending to own properties.
Thousands of Kenyans lost their property worth millions of shillings in the demolitions and evictions as the cement firm reclaimed its grabbed land.
“We have been facing lots of challenges as Kenyans when it comes to property ownership and real estate. Many people have lost their money, ignorance is no defence in a court of law,” association chairman Kinyua Wairatu said.
He was speaking during the Next Level Properties Limited fifth anniversary in Syokimau, Machakos county, on Sunday.
Wairatu said some people buy land without conducting due diligence and they end up losing it.
“Many people engage in buying land when they know it has issues. They just ignore and hope things will turn out to be okay,” Wairatu said.
“Before you purchase any land, it’s good to do due diligence. Know the land history, who owns it, and seek relevant information from government institutions. Talk to neighbours, some have factual information on the parcels and can help you from being duped.”
Wairatu told Kenyans to avoid shortcuts while looking to own property.
He said the high cost of living is hurting the real estate industry, thereby threatening Kenyans right to own property.
“The government waking up daily and adding costs of title transfers, transactions affect not only the industry, but Kenyans at large,” Wairatu said.
“I urge the government to seek advice from us, experts in the industry, before coming up with policies.”
Next Level Properties Ltd CEO John Thiong’o said, “We have seen in recent past cases of land irregularities leading to Kenyans losing their hard-earned income to land cartels..”
