World Bank: Poor land laws behind high cost of living

On corruption, Reuters quoted World Bank experts as saying most investors risk being given fake title deeds, or finding their plot has multiple titles, with swathes of land being traded informally because they have not been demarcated.PHOTO:COURTESY

The high cost of living in Kenyan cities is as a result of poor systems for buying and selling land, a World Bank report has said.

The report added that corruption and inefficiency in the Ministry of Lands could be holding back investors from land transactions.

“Kenya ... needs to reform its systems for buying and selling land and invest aggressively in urban infrastructure to create jobs. This will also be needed to ... reduce the high cost of living, especially in cities,” the report reads in part.

On corruption, Reuters quoted World Bank experts as saying most investors risk being given fake title deeds, or finding their plot has multiple titles, with swathes of land being traded informally because they have not been demarcated.

The report noted that complicated procedures for land transactions, a lack of urban planning and under-investment in infrastructure connecting homes, jobs and shops are hampering development.

In Nairobi, the report notes that seven in 10 people either spend an hour walking to work or in a matatu, which means they can only reach about 20 per cent of the city’s potential jobs.