The National Land Commission has disowned title deeds held by squatters on land that is at the centre of a dispute.
The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the squatters have been battling over ownership of the 419-acre Kamiti/Anmer parcel in Kiambu town whose value is estimated to be at least Sh12 billion.
Chairing public hearings on land matters in Thika last week, the National Land Commission's Samuel Tororei told several squatter groups who appeared before the commission that the land in question was public land.
Dr Tororei said the matter was complicated by two Gazette notices, one issued by KFS setting the land as a forest.
The second notice was issued by a former Cabinet minister de-gazetting the land from being a forest.
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Settlement area
Tororei said the minister who gazetted the land as a settlement area did not have it excised from being a forest.
On the other hand, KFS has insisted that the land remains a forest.
“Due process was not followed, and until the KFS notice is dealt with, everything else is illegal. You cannot issue a title deed on an illegality,” said Tororei.
The commissioner advised the squatters to go to court and get an interpretation on which of the two Gazette notices should stand.
He advised the squatters to persuaded KFS to agree to have the land excised so that that could acquire genuine titles.
Tororei faulted the Government officials who facilitated individuals to get titles for the land.