Security personell bars National Lands Commission officials from opening offices

By CYRUS OMBATI 

NAIROBI, KENYA: A standoff broke out between National Lands Commission personnel and police at the ministry of lands headquarters over an order by Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu to suspend transactions for 10 days starting Monday. 

Whereas the NLC officials said their operations would continue as usual, police who had been under instructions barred them from opening their offices.  

The officers also turned away the public who turned up there to seek services. 

Ngilu said the move was to facilitate reforms at the central registry. She said she will launch the exercise at 10 am and invited the media to witness it. 

Ngilu is said to have brought more than 30 university students to assist her staff carry out the reforms in the two weeks period. 

But NLC has termed illegal the shutdown that effectively halts issuance of title deeds countrywide. Commission vice chair Abigael Mukolwe insisted offices would open as usual, throwing service delivery into confusion. 

“These people need to know the commission is independent and if any they should bar people from going to the ministry offices and not ours. This is nasty and should not happen at all,” said Ms Mukolwe. 

She confirmed no members of the public were being allowed into the Ardhi House. 

Ngilu, in an advert appearing in the daily newspapers, announced the department would be closed for 10 working days starting Monday, to review central land registries and services would resume on May 19.