A Nakuru lobby group has appealed to the government to ruthlessly crash land cartels and their hirelings in order to end apprehensiveness among homeowners and investors in the counties.
The Chairman of People’s Watch lobby Group, Jesse Karanja said the eviction orders by the Environment Cabinet Secretary, Keriako Tobiko to homeowners in Lang’ata, Nairobi, has sent shock waves in the county.
He said a number of estates in Nakuru town were either hived off forests or build on irregularly acquired government land just like those of Lang’ata estate, which was formerly part of the Ngong Forest.
He said it was unacceptable that corruption, fraud and violence have come to define land transactions and management in the country despite the many promises without corresponding results.
Karanja said Nakuru town has numerous tricksters who have made a career out of conning people through fake land transactions but they are hardly arrested, despite many people having lost their hard-earned savings.
“In this county land rackets are so prevalent that it is difficult for a genuine buyer to get a clean deal and the fraudsters thrive on the vulnerability of the ordinary people seeking land to develop homes or commercial property,” he said.
The Chairman urged the government to implement the digitization of land records so as to simplify transactions and eliminate mischief in the important sector.
He added that most wananchi aspire to own land because it bestows personal security, presents a chance for economic progress, and a promise of stability for families. However, the continued eviction orders, whether implemented or not have a negative effect on the country’s development.
In addition, he said the lobby group has recorded several cases of grabbed public land within the county with the local anti-corruption offices but nothing much have been done so far.
By Veronica Bosibori
