President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday kicked off the latest phase of the national title deeds issuance programme that will see the immediate issuance of one million title deeds to land owners across the country.
Issuing 200 title deeds to signify the start of the programme at the International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, President Kenyatta directed the Cabinet Secretaries for Lands and Interior to come up with a programme that will involve other Cabinet Secretaries in the issuance of the balance of the ready title deeds to expeditiously execute the exercise.
“Today, we are launching and flagging off the issuance of 1 million out of 6 million title deeds that are ready across the registries in the various counties.
“The programme should be executed expeditiously such that before sunset on the Eighth of July, 2022 the balance of the one 1 million title deeds will have been conveyed to their holders,” President Kenyatta directed.
At the same time, the President highlighted several achievements under the reforms in the land sector, noting that the National Titling program, which his administration introduced in 2013, has helped in processing and issuing title deeds to many citizens.
“As part of this programme, we established the National Titling Centre, the Rapid Titling Initiative, Land Clinics and formed links with both land buying companies and County Governments. These progressive measures were buttressed by enhanced recruitment of technical staff and the deployment of other critical resources including motor vehicles and survey equipment,” he said.
The Head of State noted that the national title deeds issuance programme has made it possible for Kenyans living in the marginalized areas such as Samburu, Isiolo and Marsabit counties to legally own land thereby empowering them to develop economically.
“I am honoured to have been the President who handed over a title deed to the first woman land owner in Marsabit; a feat that was unthinkable a decade ago when it was culturally held that women could not hold a title in land,” the President said.
The President added that, through the programme, the Government has been able to secure the country’s natural resources and heritage sites which were under the threat of being grabbed.
Lands CS Farida Karoney said her ministry has been able to achieve the targets set by the President through the implemented reforms that have facilitated registration of 6,1000,945 new title deeds.
“ This is a very significant number because you’ll be happy to note that the colonial government and our first three administration registered 6 million so actually it surpassed slightly the 6million registered in the past 100 years,” said the lands CS.
