Lands Ministry pushes for Sh6 billion fee waiver to unlock land titles
Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome said she has already prepared and submitted a Cabinet memo on the matter to the Attorney General and the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury for review and approval.
The Ministry of Lands is seeking approval to waive more than Sh6 billion in interest charges on unpaid settlement scheme fees, a step aimed at enabling thousands of land beneficiaries to finally collect their long-delayed title deeds.
Speaking at the official opening of the new Malindi Land Registry, Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome said she has already prepared and submitted a Cabinet memo on the matter to the Attorney General and the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury for review and approval.
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CS Wahome said the government is considering the move following discussions with the president and the Treasury.
“I have sent a request to the Treasury CS. We have also discussed the matter with the President so that, if agreed, we can waive the interest on the fees. I have a pending Cabinet memo, which I have submitted to the AG and the CS for the Treasury,” she said.
Her remarks came in response to Kilifi leaders who raised concerns over the high interest costs, saying they have made it difficult for residents to settle their balances with the Settlement Fund Trustees (SFT) and receive their land ownership documents.
They asked the government to waive the interest so that locals can at least pay the original principal amounts.
The leaders included Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro, Deputy Majority Leader in the National Assembly Owen Baya, Kaloleni MP Paul Katana, Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi, and former Magarini MP Harrison Kombe.
They noted that residents have waited for years to obtain title deeds that remain locked due to the growing financial burden.
Wahome confirmed the situation, revealing that thousands of title deeds are still lying idle in registries across the country.
At the new Malindi Lands Registry alone, she said, 33,000 documents are yet to be collected. She encouraged land allottees to pay the required fees and collect their documents, saying that title deeds are vital in securing land rights.
The CS also announced that the ministry has started the process of winding up all pending settlement schemes dating back to the 1960s so that title deeds can be issued and discharges completed.
Additionally, she urged foreign holders of title deeds under freehold and 999-year leases to surrender them and comply with current policy by receiving 99-year leases, in line with constitutional provisions.
The Cabinet Secretary said the ministry had processed 7,000 new title deeds for areas within Kilifi and that she plans to return to the region to issue them to rightful owners. She added that over 170,000 land transaction documents had already been moved to the Malindi Lands Registry, which will handle records for Malindi and Magarini sub-counties.
CS Wahome further announced that land adjudication is ongoing in several parts of Kilifi County, including Kibokoni, Chakama Phase III, Adu/Kamale, Pumwani Phase III, and Wakala.
To improve service delivery, she said the ministry will establish three new land control boards to supplement the two existing ones in the county.
Governor Mung’aro called on land officials to work closely with residents, resolve disputes amicably, and help speed up land documentation processes for the benefit of the community.
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