Counties have no mandate over public land, CS Kaimenyi says

The Ministry of Lands has accused county governments and religious bodies of blocking its efforts to recover grabbed public land meant for schools, hospitals and forests.

According to Lands Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi, most county governments have not yet understood that title deeds that were in the names of defunct local authorities are now under the National Treasury.

“They have been making decisions on these public land to the extent of reallocating it for other uses,” said Prof Kaimenyi in a speech read on his behalf by Lands Secretary Peter Kahuho.

The minister further accused religious bodies of failing to relinquish public schools that they previously managed but have now been taken over by the government.

"It must be made clear that the religious bodies never bought the land, in most cases it was donated by communities to advance the communities’ interest in education,” he said.

Prof Kaimenyi said the government is working to recover public land that has been grabbed by private owners.

He said land reserved for schools in urban areas is being grabbed because of its prime location.

The CS said the National Land Commission and the Ministry of Health are documenting land set aside for hospitals and are issuing them with papers.

The government is also enhancing the protection of forests, which have been depleted through illegal settlements.

NLC Commissioner Rose Musyoka said the agency has so far recovered over 4,000 titles of grabbed land.

The officials were speaking Tuesday in Nairobi during a public land conference by the Shule Yetu lobby group.