National Assembly orders KCAA to secure title deeds, stop land encroachment
The House committee expressed concern over KCAA’s slow response in securing its assets and questioned why court injunctions had not been obtained sooner to stop further encroachment.
Members of Parliament have directed the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to immediately acquire title deeds for all land under its management and to place a caution on disputed parcels to stop further illegal encroachment.
The National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy Committee’s firm instructions followed revelations that 11 parcels of KCAA land have been irregularly allocated to private individuals.
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KCAA Director General Emile Arao informed the Committee that the affected land is located at the Central Transmission Station in Mlolongo, Machakos County.
Originally covering 160 acres, the land has been unlawfully subdivided, with about 4.13 acres registered under private ownership.
“Hon. Chairman, we reached out to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in April 2022 and again in June 2023, seeking help to recover the illegally acquired land,” Arao said.
The Committee expressed concern over KCAA’s slow response in securing its assets and questioned why court injunctions had not been obtained sooner to stop further encroachment.
“Why has it taken you so long to obtain a court injunction to stop further encroachment?” asked Committee Chair David Pkosing.
Members also noted that KCAA lacks title deeds for any of its land in Mlolongo, and efforts to retrieve records from the Ministry of Lands have been unsuccessful.
“The files are missing. We went to the Ministry for a search, but we’ve received no response.” Committee member Mwangi Kiunjuri urged for a site visit to establish the land’s status on the ground, warning, “Without it, KCAA could be accused of squatting,” Arao said.
Committee members also raised broader concerns about the Ministry of Lands’ transparency.
MP Duncan Mathenge questioned, “If digitisation of land records has been ongoing, why is it still impossible to trace these documents?”
MP Kazungu Tungule sought clarification on the size of the encroached land, asking, “You’re saying that from the original 160 acres, the contested 11 parcels only cover about 4 acres? Mr. DG, can you walk us through how this happened?” Arao confirmed, “Yes, Chair. The irregularly occupied land adds up to 4.1271 acres.”
Other KCAA projects, including housing units in Nyali, Bamburi, and Miritini, were flagged with audit queries.
The Committee also flagged infrastructure at the East African School of Aviation, which also faces audit issues requiring attention.
The Committee also called on the Inspectorate of Directorates and the National Treasury to provide updates on the planned merger of state agencies to prevent the loss of public funds.
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