Land officers and members of the public in West Pokot County have been trained on the new online stamp duty module as the National Land Commission (NLC) continues rolling out a digital system for land transactions across the country.
Speaking during the training, Monica Obong’o, Director of the National Lands Information Management System, said the commission visited West Pokot to onboard officers and fully integrate the county into the national online stamp duty system.
She noted that throughout last year, the commission trained land officers countrywide on the stamp duty module, and the visit to West Pokot was aimed at issuing equipment and conducting hands-on training to ensure officers can transact land services online and completely phase out manual transactions.
Obong’o said the onboarding began in December, during which 38 land registries were integrated into system. Despite December traditionally being a slow month, the commission was able to raise Sh1.2 billion in revenue during that period alone.
She added that with the implementation of the stamp duty module, the commission had initially set a revenue target of Sh16 billion, but projections show collections will exceed Sh20 billion by June 30, 2026, largely due to the new system.
According to Obong’o, the visit to West Pokot marks the final phase of onboarding counties.
She explained that the commission is currently onboarding 28 land registries across about 20 counties, noting that 39 registries were onboarded in December.
She said that once the exercise is complete, all registries in the country will be fully integrated into the stamp duty module.
She emphasized that by the end of February, no land registry in Kenya will be processing stamp duty manually.
Obong’o said the system is highly effective, as all transactions must be conducted online through the Ardhi Sasa platform and users are required to create an account and apply digitally for transactions, with issued titles fully linked to the system.
She noted that titles issued outside the approved online process will be deemed null and void.
She added that the online registry will help curb duplication of titles and eliminate fraudulent land transactions.
In her remarks, West Pokot County Executive Committee Member for lands, Urban Planning and Physical Development, Esther Chelimo, thanked the National Land Commission for prioritizing the digitization of the West Pokot land registry.
Chelimo noted that the registry serves West Pokot, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet counties and that digitization will enable residents to access land services remotely.
She added that the county is currently facilitating the issuance of title deeds for community land, with subdivision ongoing in group ranches and adjudication processes underway.
She urged residents to ensure their land is adjudicated to enable them to acquire title deeds.
Meanwhile, West Pokot County Registrar Isaac Sabuni, who also oversees Turkana and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, welcomed the roll-out of the new stamp duty module, terming it inclusive and efficient.
Sabuni said the training received will make it easier for members of the public to transact with the government and ensure all due revenue is properly collected and safeguarded.
He noted that challenges such as fake title deeds and fraudulent land transfers will soon be a thing of the past, adding that the new system is well-organized and systematic.
“The absence of a proper land management system has long undermined security of tenure,” Sabuni said.
He said the new digital registry is a major improvement that will allow officers to serve the public efficiently, including speeding up the issuance of community land title deeds.
By Anthony Melly and Parklea Ivor
