Second phase of land registry digitization to commence in July

TANA RIVER, Kenya, June 23 – Its all systems go as the National Government is set to kick off the second phase of the digitization exercise of the land registry in July, 2021.

Speaking during the unveiling of the historic first land registry in Tana River since independence, Land Cabinet secretary Faridah Karoney, says that the government has already mapped out 20 counties where the exercise will be institutionalized.

The move is expected to ease the access of land records as well as enable the effective issuance of title deeds to citizens.

“I made the decision this morning (Wednesday) that Tana River will be among the 20 registries that will be digitized in phase two because you have a very good registry, you have the technology and there is no reason as to why we should not digitize your records,” said Karoney.

The community land registration is also expected to kick off in at least 24 counties, enabling communities to own land, this even as 70 percent of land in the country is said to be unregistered.

Community land accounts for this statistics.

“That’s why it became important to begin the national titling program and specifically implementation of the community land registration became a priority program in the ministry.”  she said.

The first phase of the exercise saw the digitization of one of the registries in Nairobi, with the second set to be completed soon.

Public participation has already been done in the 24 counties, with a gazette notice being issued on the community land registries.

Only 2,000 title deeds have been issued in Tana River county, worrying numbers according to Karoney, who called for the swift issuance of land owning documents to residents.

“Since president Kenyatta took office, we have been able to process over 5million tittle deeds while the other three previous presidents processed 6 million tittle deeds so we have 12 million tittle deeds,” she said.

Reforms in the Land Ministry is expected to end the suffering of Kenyans who have either been defrauded of their lands or even denied their birth right.

Services in the ministry are also set to be decentralized for effective and efficient service delivery.

The digitization process in Tana River is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

The CS said that the registrar who was dispatched in Tana River will also double up as community land registrar and will be able to register community land adding that they have also appointed and gazetted  adjudication officers who will implement the community land act.

Present at the launch was area governor Dhadho Godhana, FAO Representative in Kenya Carla Mukavi and EU Envoy in Kenya Katrin Hagemann.

Food and Agricultural organization through the support of EU funded the construction of the registry at a cost of Sh 18 million.