Police headquarters operated without title deed for over 60 years, MPs told

The National Police Service (NPS) operated without a title deed for Vigilance House, the police headquarters in Nairobi, for over 60 years, exposing the land to potential grabbing, MPs have been told.

Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security, Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat said he only received the crucial document three weeks ago.

"Can you imagine, Mr Chairman, even the title deed for Vigilance I received only three weeks ago since independence?" Lagat told the committee chaired by Narok North MP Gabriel Tongoyo.

The disclosure has raised concerns over the ownership status of police land across the country, with many police stations also lacking title deeds. MPs warned that the failure to secure proper documentation could leave police land vulnerable to encroachment by private developers.

Lagat assured the committee that the police service had formed a special committee, in collaboration with its legal department, to expedite the process of acquiring title deeds.

"There is already a committee that is fast-tracking the title deeds," he said.

Worrying statistic

According to a report by Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, over 80 per cent of police stations lack title deeds.

The report for the 2021/22 financial year, revealed that only 464 out of nearly 3,000 police stations nationwide had proper ownership documents, making the rest susceptible to land disputes and encroachment.

Gathungu also highlighted that 80 per cent of all land owned by the Kenya Police Service lacked title deeds.

Some of the affected police stations in Kiambu County included Gatundu North Police Station in Kamwangi town and Makongeni Police Station in Thika Sub-County, which are embroiled in ownership disputes.

A task force led by former Chief Justice David Maraga on police reforms also found that only 159 police stations had title deeds, while another 468 stations only had letters of allotment.

However, a Supreme Court ruling in September 2023 determined that letters of allotment do not constitute title deeds, further complicating the land ownership situation for the police service.

Committee deputy chairperson Dido Raso pointed out that much of the untitled police land remained unused, yet it could be developed to provide housing for officers, addressing the long-standing accommodation crisis in the service.

National Police Service Principal Administrative Secretary Bernice Lemedeket attributed the challenge to how some police stations were established, often in partnership with stakeholders such as Members of Parliament through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).

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• Police headquarters operated without title deed for over 60 years
• MPs told

"We have to do due diligence before we build a police station. Some of them are built in partnership with MPs through the CDF, and in that case, the land does not belong to the police," Lemedeket said.

She further noted that some police stations had been constructed on private land, road reserves, or land with unresolved ownership issues, leaving the service without legal ownership.

"Give us money to secure police land," she urged the MPs.