[Source: Daily Nation, by Joseph Openda]
The Ministry of Lands has been implicated in a mega scandal that involve issuing of more than 3,000 fake title deeds to individuals for lparcels in Ol Jorai farm.
Officials at the Lands office in Nakuru are accused of overseeing fraudulent land transactions that led to the illegal subdivision of the 8,000 acres of land in Gilgil.
The question of how a land was acquired, subdivided and title deeds issued without the original title being surrendered was the subject of determination in the more than a decade-long court dispute pitying two groups – members of the Ol Jorai community and the Solai Royubei land buying company.
The Lands court in Nakuru on Wednesday raised an alarm over the conduct of the some of the officers at the Lands office which led to the unnecessary litigations and now impending eviction of more than 6,000 people.
In his judgement, Justice Sila Munyao regretted that illegalities were happening at the Lands office under the watch of the senior officials who have been entrusted by the public to keep straight records.
Justice Munyao wondered how the titles of the land were prepared and maps purporting to authenticate the documents were drawn, terming it a major public scandal.
The extent of the rot came out in the hearing of a case where Peter Ndungunya Ole Osono, on behalf of the community, sued the Solai Royubei company for trying to grab their land.
The judge in his ruling, pointed out instances where lands officials while testifying in defense of the Ol Jorai community members exposed their laxity and misconducts.
The court in its judgement cancelled all the 3,320 title deeds and declared that the land belonged to Royubei company and that it has not been subdivided.
[Full article: Daily Nation, by Joseph Openda]
