National Land Commission hints at probing land titles from 1890s

The National Land Commission (NLC) chairman Muhammad Swazuri has announced that his team might open up investigations on all title deeds issued in Kenya right from the British colonial rule in 1890s.

Dr Swazuri also announced that even before President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the revocation of 22 titles in Lamu last week, the NLC had begun investigating 30 such cases in the county. He said the NLC considered Uhuru's statement as a complaint, which it would investigate.

He said NLC began probing deeds last year, noting that most land leases in Coast had expired.

Swazuri also disclosed that he was taken aback by Uhuru's announcement to revoke titles since he and other delegates had been invited to State House in Nairobi to discuss insecurity on the material date.

As he spoke in Mtwapa, CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro arrived in Mombasa to co-ordinate investigations on the 22 entities the President and Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu say illegally own 500,000 acres of land in Lamu.

Muhoro said CID and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission will conduct joint investigations and ordered directors of the affected companies to turn up and record statements.

Swazuri said NLC had been reviewing questionable titles in Lamu since early last year when Lamu Governor, Issa Timmamy, raised concern over fraudulent land deals in the county.

According to the NLC chairman, Timmamy flagged irregular land owners when President Kenyatta visited Pate Island during the issuance of title deeds in the Coast region.

Swazuri said NLC, according the Constitution, had the mandate to take up any complaint by an individual, county government or the National Government.

Speaking to The Standard at Mtwapa in Kilifi County after meeting Kilifi North MP Gedion Mungaro and Kilifi South MP Mustaffa Idi over allocation of land to squatters in Timbwani, Swazuri disclosed that the commission had already received 12 files of the 22 entities whose titles were revoked.

Swazuri revealed that the commission had updated the list of titles it was investigating to 30 after getting more names of those believed to have acquired land fraudulently in Lamu.