The government has warned that title deeds acquired fraudulently will be cancelled as it intensifies efforts to resolve the long-running land ownership disputes in Murang’a County.
The warning was issued by Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome during the issuance of 750 title deeds to members of the Kihiu Mwiri land-buying company in Gatanga.
Wahome said the government will not hesitate to revoke title deeds where owners cannot prove they legally acquired the land.
She directed that anyone claiming ownership through purchase must produce evidence of payment and a valid sale agreement.
“If no money changed hands, I will cancel that title deed,” the CS said, adding that individuals holding questionable titles would be required to explain how they acquired them before any final decision is made.
According to Wahome, the Ministry has so far prepared 4,228 title deeds under the ongoing exercise, with 3,600 already verified and approved for issuance. The remaining documents are still undergoing verification.
She said land officers will continue working on the ground to ensure only genuine beneficiaries receive title deeds.
“A small portion is not fully ready. We will bring our officers here so they can thoroughly investigate and complete the verification process,” she said.
The exercise is part of government efforts to finally settle the decades-old land dispute surrounding Kihiu Mwiri, also known as Kenyatta Farm, which has been the source of ownership conflicts for years.
The dispute previously turned violent, prompting the government in 2015 to intervene after then-President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Ministry of Lands to speed up the issuance of title deeds as a lasting solution.
At the time, the ministry, then under acting Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, deployed more than 100 land officials to verify ownership records and weed out fraudulent transactions before preparing title deeds.
Wahome said the current verification exercise is intended to ensure fairness and restore confidence in the land registration process.
“We want everyone to be satisfied with the Government’s work. Those with proper documents will receive their title deeds, but any title obtained fraudulently can be revoked,” she said.
Those whose land titles have unresolved questions on them, such as boundary conflicts, name differences, or use of parcels of land that differ from the records, will be asked to submit their documents for validation before the titles are released to them.
The government claims that the process is meant to facilitate land ownership, avoid disputes and ensure that residents can hold their lands securely, allowing them to use and develop them freely.
Issuance of real land titles is expected to bring about peace in the region since there have been ownership disputes for many years.