Errant land surveyors put on notice

The government will soon suspend unscrupulous private surveyors to avoid unnecessary land disputes, the Nation has learnt.

Coast provincial land surveyor Jonathan Chivanchi said he had written to some of the surveyors he accused of not working professionally. Some had been working on subdivisions and fix surveys without involving land registrars, thus causing wrangles, he added.

“Most of the disputes over mounting of beacons are caused by crooked surveyors in Coast Province who do their job without involving land officers and owners of the plots,” he said.

The warning comes only days after land officers unearthed a scam where a surveyor created “artificial land” by reducing the size of a plot belonging to a Kinondo resident using an unrecommended scale.

Mr Oliver Seki, the victim, said his 6.4 acre plot was divided by a private developer without involving him. He claimed some land registrars in Kwale District colluded with the private developer to mess up the survey on his land.

Colluding

“We have identified some of the land registrars who are colluding with the private surveyor who have reduced my piece of land by half,” said Mr Seki.

Kwale land registrar Mohammed Jembe said he had received complaints from the public over such scandals, adding that some officers would be investigated and action taken against them. The Nation has learnt that several land owners in the region have been conned by private surveyors who charge them more than Sh200,000 for fixed surveys instead of Sh20,000.