Education Ministry to audit school lands to secure title deeds
The directive comes amid growing concerns over private developers targeting school lands, particularly in Nairobi and Mombasa counties.
The Ministry of Education has directed regional and county directors of education to conduct a comprehensive audit of all school lands and ensure title deeds are obtained to secure the properties.
The directive, announced by Education CS Julius Ogamba, comes amid growing concerns over private developers targeting school lands, particularly in Nairobi and Mombasa counties.
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"I direct all directors of education to conduct an audit of all land belonging to educational institutions, ensure the land is protected, and obtain title deeds for the same," he said during the commissioning of Junior Secondary School classrooms at Kakamega Primary School.
The CS said that the collaboration between the Ministries of Education and Lands to safeguard public land, warning private developers to stop encroaching on properties meant for educational purposes.
"I want to warn those who believe land belonging to institutions is available for grabbing. Start exiting, because we will ensure government machinery takes back this land," he cautioned.
Public schools are very vulnerable to cases of land-grabbing with reports indicating that around 70 per cent of them lack ownership documents for the land they are built on.
As of November 2019, 70 per cent of the 32,354 public schools operating in Kenya did not have title deeds leaving over 22,648 schools exposed to potential land grabbing. About 4,100 schools have formally reported being at risk.
In January 2023, a report revealed only 30 per cent of public schools in the country are safe from land grabbers.
The Ministry of Education then revealed plans to secure title deeds for public schools by 2026.
"Despite the efforts put to issue schools with title deeds, a large number of them don't have title deeds," the plan reads.
According to a report dubbed 'A Handbook for Public Schools Land Defenders, Shule Yangu Alliance Campaign 2020,' it's the government's duty, school management and the community to ensure that the land on which public schools are built is safe from grabbing.
"More than 4,100 public schools have formally reported being at risk of being grabbed due to lack of ownership documents," the report reads.
This means 22,648 schools don't have title deeds, while only 9705 have titles.
Forgeries
Last week, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) warned about a gang using forged documents to sell land belonging to unsuspecting Kenyans in Nairobi.
In addition, the government is also ramping up efforts to ensure a smooth transition for pupils to Grade Nine.
CS Ogamba noted that the construction of 16,000 new classrooms for Grade Nine is underway, with local contractors being engaged to support the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
"We will continue to work together to improve infrastructure in schools to ensure our pupils get a conducive learning environment," he said.
In preparation for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system, the Ministry is re-tooling teachers across the country.
Ogamba confirmed that 46,000 teachers employed in internship programmes will be transitioned to permanent and pensionable terms by January 2025, with an additional 20,000 science-based teachers to be hired soon.
The government has also prioritised the distribution of textbooks, aiming to meet the one-textbook-per-subject ratio for all Junior Secondary Schools by December 15.
"This is part of the government's efforts to ensure Grade Nine pupils are adequately taken care of as schools reopen in January next year," Ogamba said.
The CS commended the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) and county governments for their contributions to constructing additional classrooms.
In the Kakamega region, 483 classrooms have been completed, and 1,137 more are nearing completion under phase two of the construction plan.
Additionally, Ogamba announced that land belonging to Kakamega Primary School, which had been allegedly grabbed by a private developer, will be returned to the institution.
The audit and related measures reflect the government's commitment to protecting school properties, enhancing educational infrastructure, and ensuring a seamless transition to the CBC curriculum.
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