The government has announced plans to roll out a unified digital system covering all land services in Kenya, in a move aimed at addressing long-standing corruption, delays, and manipulation in the sector.
The announcement is made by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei after chairing a consultative virtual meeting with senior officials in the lands sector to review service delivery challenges.
Koskei states that corruption within land processes continues to undermine efficiency, with some officers deliberately delaying or interfering with services that should be straightforward.
“Corruption within land processes continues to undermine service delivery. Officers delay, manipulate or block services that should be straightforward,” he says.
He adds that cases of missing files, altered records, and even multiple title deeds issued for the same parcel of land are deliberate actions that deny citizens their rights.
“Files go missing, records get altered. In some cases, the system produces multiple titles for the same parcel. These are deliberate acts that deny citizens their rights and distort justice,” Koskei notes.
The planned reforms, to be implemented by the Ministry of Lands in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service, will focus on creating a seamless, end-to-end digital platform to eliminate manual processes that create room for manipulation.
“I made it clear that we cannot digitise inefficiency or automate malpractice. Services must be predictable, transparent, and time-bound. Every process must withstand scrutiny,” he states.
The new system is expected to streamline key services such as land searches, transfers, and title processing, while securing land records to eliminate fraud, double allocation, and ownership disputes.
Public institutions will also be required to regularise their land documentation and address long-standing audit gaps as part of the reforms.
Koskei further directs leaders in the sector to enforce accountability, noting that survey, registration, adjudication, and planning functions must operate as one coordinated system.
“A Kenyan must access land services and receive a clear, fair, and reliable outcome. Processes must not depend on influence or informal payments,” he says.
The move comes amid rising concerns over missing and disputed title deeds, with some cases involving land allocated to the wrong owners.
According to Ministry of Lands data, more than four million Kenyans currently hold title deeds, with over 422,000 issued in 2024 alone. However, losses continue to occur in isolated cases due to theft, fraud, misplacement, and administrative challenges.