Treasury losing billions following Ngilu’s order to suspend work at ministry

Security was tight at Ardhi House Tuesday. Only employees with identification cards were allowed in. [PHOTO: BEVERLYNE MUSILI/STANDARD]

BY KIPCHUMBA KEMEI

NAIROBI, KENYA: The decision by the Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu to suspend all land transactions for ten working days to facilitate reforms at the central registry will cost the Government billions of shillings in stamp duty.

Turf wars between Mrs Ngilu and the National Land Commission Chairman Mohammed Swazuri that have been raging on for a year now has in many ways affected land transactions, including renewal of leases, searches, land rent payments, valuation processing and issuance of title deeds.

This has denied the Treasury revenue and stalled development of real estate among other pertinent land matters.

Various organisations and politicians have faulted the CS for the directive, saying neither Ngilu nor NLC has the mandate to sign title deeds.

“The preserve of signing title deeds is purely a preserve of the Government Chief Lands Registrar and the counterpart at the county level. The fight between the Cabinet Secretary and NLC is unwarranted,” says the Land Development and Governance Institute Chairman Ibrahim Mwathane.

SUPREMACY BATTLE

CORD nominated MP Isaac Mwaura has said the supremacy battle between the two offices should be brought to an end to allow the land transactions to go on.

“The President should move fast and end the war, which is denying his Government much needed revenue. There is more to the fight than meets the eye,” said Mr Mwaura.

Narok and Kajiado county governments have been hit by the squabbles in the two government offices. The counties have gone to an extent of suspending all transactions including sub division of land and issuance of title deeds.

Kajiado Governor David Nkidienye and his Narok counterpart Samuel Tunai have also suspended Land Control Boards until County Land Management Boards are constituted, putting on hold an average of about Sh100 million both counties remit to the Treasury annually in land registration and stamp duty payments.

Mr Tunai, who sent an officer at the town planning department on compulsory leave for allegedly double allocating public land to unsuspecting buyers, said land sub division and sale have been marred by corruption. “Parcels of land belonging to families have been sub divided and sold without the consent of the members. The sub divisions have rendered lands that were once economically viable useless,” he said.

 The governor directed the area Land Registrar Philip Mengi to halt issuance of title deeds until the board is set up.

WIVES FOR HIRE

The area, he said, is teeming with land speculators and women for hire who he blamed on the rampant sale of family lands; deals that have rendered innocent family members landless.

“There are women for hire who are operating here. Their work is to be hired and be presented to the land control boards as wives, leading to disposal of family resources. This, among other reasons, have forced me to suspend all land transactions,” said the governor.

He said there were many fake title deeds in the area, vowing that when the board will be up and running, their vetting would start and all lands that were illegally dished out repossessed.

County Land Executive Morgan Siloma says the governor’s move to suspend all land transactions was informed by locals cries that they have lost their land through deals that were being done “below the board”.

“The county government wants to streamline land transactions. We don’t want to repossess lands from people. Those who bought them genuinely have no reasons to worry,” he said.

Narok Land Valuation Officer Kibichy Yator said the Land Registry collects an average of about Sh20 million a year on land transactions, adding that the ban will seriously affect revenue collection.

“The registry office collects an average of Sh20 million a year in land registration and in stamp duty. The suspension of all forms of land deals will deny the treasury revenue,” he said.

The suspension in Narok and Kajiado counties comes at a time when most group ranches and communal lands were being sub divided for individual ownership.