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Exposed: Plan to OK city land grabs

September 19th, 2013 1 min read

Illegal land allocations by rogue politicians and chiefs in Nairobi over the years could soon be legitimised.

Letters allocating land by former councillors and Members of Parliament could be upgraded to title deeds as proof of ownership, if a new Bill by the County Assembly becomes law. Such letters have no legal authority.

The pieces of land so-allocated are mostly in parts of Eastlands, Kasarani and Kibera and comprise the more than 30,000 plots targeted for titles when the new law comes into effect.

Last week, the County Assembly paved way for the new law, after a motion by Lucky Summer County Rep Kennedy Oduru was passed in an emotional debate supported by both the Jubilee and Cord members.

Forging and backdating

The new law could see the county Government earn about Sh2 billion in taxes and other fees but cause an avalanche of court cases. Or even violent clashes as such letters were typically written in favour of multiple beneficiaries.

In certain cases the land already belongs to other parties with valid or dubious titles. The letters are also easy to forge and back-date.