[Source: Citizen Digital]
More than 600 officers in the Lands Ministry have been transferred to other ministries in the wake of a probe into their role in the theft of public land.
Chief Administrative Secretary Gideon Mung’aro said there will be overhaul of all clerical officers amid investigations to establish if they have been working with crooks to steal public land.
In the Thika Land registry, more than 20 clerks received their letters on Thursday for transfer to other ministries within Kiambu and some to Murang’a County.
CAS Mung’aro said some of those who have been transferred include land adjudication officers and surveyors.
However, the majority are clerks who will be moved to different ministries, which in effect means new clerks will be brought in including at the Ardhi House headquarters.
Mung’aro was speaking in Thika after visiting members of the Kiang’ombe Squatters Settlement Scheme and Masai Village Squatters group who had reported to the Senate land committee the annexure of more than 28 acres of land set aside to resettle them, including public utilities.
He was accompanied by Thika West DCC Douglas Mutai and area Lands Registrar Bernard Leitich.
The CAS also noted that the squatters’ representatives have been called for a meeting at the ministry headquarters in a weeks’ time in a bid to resolve the matter.
Residents claimed that a cartel has been working in cahoots with some government officers to grab land set aside for public use in Kiang’ombe and Masai villages.
