Land transactions in Kisumu suspended

All land transactions in the county have been halted until a task force on irregular allocations concludes its investigations.

The Physical Planning and Housing department will not approve any sale or transfer of land to anyone until the probe is complete in three months’ time.

County Secretary Olango Onudi has moved to gazette members of the task force.

The task force comprises Pastor George Weda (chairman), Nick Migot (secretary) and lawyer Idris Oyolla (legal adviser).

Weda's team was appointed by Governor Anyang' Nyong'o to carry out fresh investigations into the double and irregular allocation of land to investors.

The suspension of land transactions is meant to forestall increasing cases of fraud.

Many complaints

Over the past one month, the county's Physical Planning and Housing department was inundated with complaints from investors who had lost millions of shillings to fraudsters.

Land brokers were reportedly hawking fake title deeds in a chain process allegedly involving officials at the Land registry in Kisumu.

And to tame the fraudsters from conning unsuspecting investors, the county authorities have put a caveat, through a gazette notice, on land targeted for prospecting.

According to Lands and Physical Planning Executive Nerry Achar, his office will not approve any building plans until a task force completes its investigations.

Nyong'o wants the task force to look into irregular and multiple allocation of public land, private leases and institutional houses in Kisumu.

This comes amid growing public complaints of fraudsters who had conned buyers millions of shillings.

Mr Achar said his office wants to rid the county of illegal land transactions.