Land owners in Noonkopir, Isinya, Bulbul, Kajiado and Namanga are celebrating after receiving their certificates of lease and title deeds.
The vital land ownership documents were issued in an event presided over by Kajiado County Governor Joseph Ole Lenku.
According to the Governor, this first phase of the land validation exercise is a fulfillment of the county government’s commitment to advance the livable towns agenda.
Speaking at the documents of ownership issuance ceremony, Lenku termed the exercise as a complete realization of his promise to the people of Kajiado.
Lenku affirmed his commitment to implement land regulation programs in partnership with the Department of Land, Physical Planning and Urban Development and municipalities, lauding the need for polarisation of urban centres which opens doors for development and growth.
“This celebration is a testament of what we can achieve when we work together. As a result of your corporation and commitment of the technical teams, 52 townships have been validated, 36,800 plots have been identified and documented, ” said Lenku.
National Land Commission (NLC) Chief Executive Officer, Ms Kabale Tache Arero, acknowledged the power of the cohesive nature of Kajiado county administration and its significance in the processing of the title deeds and certificates of lease to plot owners. She pointed out that the process successfully ran via trust, allowing the different jurisdictions to lead and serve with integrity.
Arero revealed a record of 8000 processed certificates of lease and title deeds, which will be issued out in the next phases of the process. This is a new record in the history of the National Land Commission (NLC).
“I commend the urban land owners of Kajiado for their resilience and trust in the process with their energy and resources that was required in the success we celebrate here today,” said Arero.
However, Arero warned against the misuse of land and ignorance towards development plans set for urban centres, citing that it details the development and growth of urban centres.
Sarah Parsimei, Secretary of the Noonkopir plot owners, expressed sheer gratitude for being part of the beneficiaries, pointing out that the power of public participation was instrumental in ensuring that the process was inclusive, especially for her Noonkopir community, which is more often than not overlooked. Parsimei vowed to relay and advocate for the validity of the process.
” We are proof that the process and resources we put together to acquire our title deeds were not in vain. We can now advocate and encourage urban land owners in our communities to begin the process since we now have something to show for our hard work,” spoke an elated Parsimei.
Hassan Sayyid, resident of Ngong and recipient of the title deeds, said that the issuance of the title deeds broke a pattern of land owners without rights of ownership.
The County Government of Kajiado has subsidized the cost of procuring title deeds from Sh300,000 to Sh55,000, a move that afforded them inclusivity for urban land owners.
By Lauryn Nailantei
