Land agency to cancel 22 title deeds for Lamu land
What you need to know:
- Commission chairman Muhammad Swazuri said Saturday that preliminary investigations confirmed that the land in question was irregularly and illegally allocated.
- The meeting follows last month’s order by President Kenyatta to the Commission and the ministry of Lands to revoke titles and repossess 500,000 acres of land allocated to 22 companies in Lamu.
- The commission also reported to the president that the inspection and acquisition of land, resettlement plan, valuation, and compensation plan have been completed.
Twenty-two title deeds belonging to companies that allegedly grabbed 500,000 acres of land in Lamu will soon be cancelled.
In a statement issued at State House Sunday, the National Land Commission (NLC) declared the titles held by the companies illegal.
NLC commissioners who had an unscheduled meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta also revoked titles for Cherangani and Eldoret State lodges, which had been grabbed.
“Our preliminary investigations confirmed that the land in question was irregularly and illegally allocated. The Commission will move to Lamu on September 16, to establish the situation on the ground. Thereafter, the Commission will issue a revocation order in respect of the titles in a week’s time,” says NLC chairman Dr Mohammed Swazuri.
The move by NLC might attract a flurry of court cases considering that most titles are held as collateral for bank loans.
FAKE TITLES
Last week, Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) confirmed to Sunday Nation that they were keenly monitory banks that have been stranded with the fake titles.
Two weeks ago, Sunday Nation established that one of the title deeds was charged to the state owned National Bank of Kenya (NBK) for a loan of Sh1.065 billion.
According to a document seen by the Sunday Nation, Kaab investments, one of the 22 companies being investigate, charged its 6,268 acres with NBK on December 6, 2013 before the charge was registered at the Land and Housing ministry five days later.
Kaab is among the 22 companies that shared the 500,000 acres of public land in Lamu.
Yesterday’s decision to annul the titles follows a move by the commission to investigate ownership of the land and how it was allocated after police claimed that the directors of the companies were being used by prominent people.
Sixteen of the 22 companies named as having acquired land “under dubious and corrupt circumstances” appear not to have been properly registered, with initial investigations showing that they might have been set up for the sole purpose of the transacting the land deals.
Yesterday, Dr Swazuri noted that during the investigations they also established that land belonging to State Houses and State lodges have been grabbed.
“Preliminary investigations have established that parts of State Houses and/or Lodges have been hived off and sold illegally to individual entities and companies. The affected properties are Mombasa, Cherangani and Eldoret,” said Dr Swazuri.
Dr Swazuri also said there are attempts to encroach on the Kisumu, Nakuru and Kakamega properties.
NLC promised that in seven days they will issue a comprehensive report on other state of the lodges countrywide.
“We will issue a full report on these allocations in a week’s time. Investigations of three other properties – Rumuruti, Sagana and Mito Andei – are underway”, said Dr Swazuri.
