Land fraud, document forgery will now attract heavy fines and jail time

Cases of culprits arraigned in court over fraudulent transfer of property are increasingly keeping away prospective buyers. Many first-time buyers of homes and popular one-eight-acre plots in the outskirts of Nairobi are the most affected. Majority of buyers of plots in the outskirts of the capital city are middle-income earners who can't afford skyrocketing prices of houses in the wake of unrealistic mortgages. Therefore, it is tormenting when a buyer pays for land after an official search at the Ministry of Lands only to be told later that the transaction was either illegal or irregular.

Eric, Nairobi