Ministry to reclaim grabbed school land

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang addresses journalists at Kamoiywo Girls Secondary School, Nandi County, on March 23, 2018 during the launch of Interactive Learning programme. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • MPs urged the government to revoke title deeds of land issued to institutions and individuals illegally.
  • Mr Korir asked stakeholders in the education sector to team up and improve infrastructure in public schools

The Ministry of Education has issued a stern warning to land grabbers eyeing public school property.

Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang on Wednesday said Land and Education ministries, together with the National Land Commission (NLC), will identify and reclaim all grabbed land initially meant for construction of public schools and vocational institutions.

“Those who have grabbed land belonging to schools must return it before we come for them,” Dr Kipsang said at St Georges Girls School, Nairobi, in a meeting on how to improve education standards.

TITLE DEEDS

The government is committed to ensuring that all land meant for public schools is recovered and title deeds issued to the learning institutions.

“Among schools whose land has been grabbed is Kilimani School. The ministry is working on recovering the land,” he said.

Nairobi County MPs urged the government to revoke title deeds of land issued to institutions and individuals illegally.

“Before, the City Council was the custodian of all public land in Nairobi and they know the grabbers,” Roysambu MP Waihenya Ndirangu said.

The MPs also called on religious institutions in the region that hold land in trust for public schools to avail it for development.

“Some of the churches, temples and mosques have built private schools and are charging parents a lot of money instead of making those schools public,” Mr Ndirangu said in the company of George Aladwa (Makadara), Yusuf Hassan (Kamukunji), Julius Mawathe (Embakasi South), Mercy Gakuya (Kasarani) and Lang’ata MP Nixon Korir.

INFRASTRUCTURE

They further called on government institutions that have large tracts of land to donate some for construction of schools.

They praised the National Youth Service, General Service Unit, Kenya Defence Forces, Kamiti Prisons and Kenyatta University, which have already donated portions of their land for construction of schools.

Mr Korir asked stakeholders in the education sector to team up and improve infrastructure in public schools so that students can get the most out of education.