The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK) has raised concerns regarding the exclusion of core land professionals in the recent appointment of commissioners to the national land commission
ISK is the professional body that brings together professionals who provide services in the land-built sector.
Speaking during a media briefing on Wednesday, ISK President Eric Nyadimo expressed deep concern regarding the apparent exclusion of core land professionals, despite their express recognition under the law as core competencies required for appointment.
ISK conveyed their disappointment with the communication coming from the Executive Office of the President, i.e., notification of Presidential Action No. V of 2026 dated 17 February 2026 on the Nomination of Chairperson and Six Members of the National Land Commission (NLC).
He stated that ISK respects the constitutional mandate of the appointing authorities under Article 67 and Article 250 of the Constitution of Kenya and the procedure set out in the First Schedule to the National Land Commission Act (Cap. 281).
He said that this background was necessitated by the need to improve land management and governance in the country and that ISK was among the key institutions that championed the inclusion of Chapter 5 on environment and land in the Constitution.
He noted that the birth of the National Land Commission was necessary to ensure Constitutional and policy reforms, professionalism within the realm of land administration and management, Address historical injustices and ensure accountability in land governance.
“We wonder whether there was a scoring system by the Selection Panel. Does it mean that the landed professionals who applied for these positions scored so low as to warrant their exclusion?”
“Critically, Section 8(1)(b)(v) and Section 8(2)(b)(v) of Chapter Six of the constitution list ‘land law, land survey, spatial planning or land economics’ as recognised and relevant fields of expertise for appointment to the Commission,” he said, adding that the law therefore expressly contemplates and anticipates representation from professionals in these disciplines.
He divulged that Under Section 5 of the National Land Commission Act, the functions of the Commission include managing public land on behalf of national and county governments, conducting research related to land and natural resource use, investigating historical land injustices, monitoring registration of rights and interests in land and overseeing land use planning nationwide, among others.
“These functions are inherently technical and spatial in nature. They require deep expertise in land surveying, valuation, physical planning, environmental management and land administration & governance,” he said.
“The commissioners will be required to play a leading role in advising on land survey, land acquisition, valuation, physical planning, land alienations and leases, and National Land Information Management Systems,” he added.
Nyadimo stressed that licensed professionals are trained, licensed and regulated and meet precisely the statutory qualifications envisioned under Section 8 of the Act noting that their technical knowledge is not peripheral; it is foundational to the execution of the Commission’s mandate.
He further said land professionals are best placed to oversee and develop policies for prudent public land governance; recommend national land policies; guide research on natural resources; adjudicate historical land injustices; and advise on national land taxation regimes, as well as act judiciously in public interest.
The ISK president said land governance in Kenya remains one of the most sensitive and technically complex areas of public administration. Ensuring that the Commission benefits from specialised professional expertise is therefore not merely a sectoral concern; it is a national governance imperative.
“The exclusion of professionals from these disciplines raises legitimate concerns about technical capacity in executing land-related investigations and oversight and that institutional balance in ensuring multi-disciplinary representation within the Commission,” he averred.
by Anita Omwenga
