MP drafting bill to make it mandatory for state to issue titles to public land

An MP is drafting a bill which, if enacted, will make it mandatory for the Government to issue title deeds to all public institutions.

Ruiru MP Ng’ang’a King’ara said the bill would force the Government to issue title deeds to schools, hospitals, markets and other public institutions.

The MP was speaking in Ruiru town yesterday, when he issued bursaries worth Sh26 million to 7,700 students.

Mr King’ara said many public institutions in the country did not have title deeds, making them the target of land grabbers.

“It is sad that the majority of public institutions or land that has been set aside for public use have no title deeds more than 50 years after independence," he said. "In Ruiru constituency for example, out of 56 public schools, only one has a title deed for the land where it is built."

Public utilities

If enacted, the new law will also compel the Government to repossess all land in the hands of individuals that had been set aside for public utilities.

“We have to move with speed to protect all public land from landing in the hands of grabbers. That’s why I am coming up with a bill that, if enacted into law, will deal with all that."

He said due to lack of titles, a lot of land set aside for public utilities in Ruiru constituency had been grabbed and sold to unsuspecting people.

In January 2015, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the ministries of Education and Land to ensure that all public schools were given titles for their land.

However, many schools are yet to receive the vital ownership documents.

A fortnight ago, the National Land Commission revealed it had issued title deeds to only 2,070 out of 27,000 public schools in the country.