Schools must acquire title deeds, says land commission
What you need to know:
Only 7,000 of the 32,000 schools countrywide have the documents, NLC chairman Mohammad Swazuri said.
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the order was not negotiable.
Dr Matiang’i also directed county directors of education to prepare an inventory of schools in two weeks.
The National Land Commission and the Ministry of Education have directed schools to acquire title deeds.
Only 7,000 of the 32,000 schools countrywide have the documents, NLC chairman Mohammad Swazuri said.
Dr Swazuri said that about 9,000 schools applied for title deeds following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive in January last year.
“Lack of title deeds makes schools vulnerable. We have asked the institutions to apply for the documents to stop encroachment on their land once and for all,” Dr Swazuri said Wednesday.
He was speaking during a retreat for senior education officials at Tom Mboya Labour College, Kisumu.
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the order was not negotiable.
“Let us stop arguing about this. The President issued the directive and the only thing we can do is comply,” he said.
Dr Matiang’i also directed county directors of education to prepare an inventory of schools in two weeks.
“We know schools in urban centres such as Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nairobi have serious problems. Land grabbing there is widespread. We are meeting governors to sort out this mess,” Dr Matiang’i said.
Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said lack of title deeds by schools was the biggest threat to education in Kenya.
“School land is either being grabbed or encroached on. We can’t just sit and watch. All the schools must have title deeds by December 25,” Dr Kipsang said.
Dr Swazuri also directed headteachers to fence off school compounds.
He asked the ministry to provide a list of schools without title deeds.
“Some schools are classified as sponsored by religious groups yet they receive public funding. Surprisingly, their title deeds do not show that they are public,” the NLC chairman said.
