Orengo to seek Supreme Court verdict on fake titles
Photo/FILE
Lands minister James Orengo during an interview in his office.
Lands ministry will go to the Supreme Court to seek clarification on how to handle fraudulently obtained title deeds.
Minister James Orengo said that, despite a High Court ruling invalidating fake land titles to grabbed government land, some judges and magistrates recognised such titles.
“Imagine a situation where a person has grabbed land belonging to the law courts and the Chief Justice comes to me saying that I should help recover that land.
“Then the grabber goes to court and obtains orders saying that his title deed (obviously obtained fraudulently) is valid. How do you deal with that?” Mr Orengo posed.
Ready to tackle
Speaking at a constitutional conference in a Nairobi hotel, the minister said he was ready to tackle land reforms.
He disclosed that the National Land Commission Bill, the Lands Bill and the Land Registration Bill had been shelved as the ministry sought views on how to deal with land issues. He pledged to have the Lands Bill enacted in February next year.
On Monday, Mr Orengo differed with the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) boss Patrick Lumumba, who labelled the minister’s attack against his job as “personal”.
Mr Orengo, however, says he supports the war against corruption. “I have no problem with him (the KACC Director).
“All I said was that he has the powers and the money to act on corruption, therefore he should act,” Mr Orengo said.
The Director of Land Development and Governance Institute, Mr Mwenda Makathimo said top ministry officials also need vetting for meaningful land reforms.
