Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has today issued a directive to all Regional, County and Sub-County Education Officers within one year to ensure schools in their areas acquire title deeds.
The CS said that the lack of title deeds in many schools has obstructed development in institutions, hence denying students a proper environment for learning. He said that all the land grabbed has been returned to the respective school.
”We asked our directors in the ministry to audit all schools to map those without title deeds so that we can facilitate the documents for them in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands, ” he said.
Ogamba Take on Schools’ Land Grabbing
Thousands of public schools stand on shaky ground with no legal credentials to prove ownership, and hence are caught in a relentless struggle against land grabbers.
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2023 research by Shule Yangu campaign alliance painted a bad picture, only 11,974 of the country’s 32,643 public schools, just 37 per cent, have title deeds. This means that over 20,000 schools remain vulnerable to land fraud encroachment and criminal activity.
Alice Wahome Warns School Land Grabbers.
Lands CS Alice Wahome has also announced the formation of regional teams to deal with land grabbing, calling on school heads to submit property records urgently.
”We are not just protecting land, we’re protecting learning, she said.
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A senior staff member in the National Lands Commission stated that the religious sponsors holding original titles face bureaucratic delay and a lack of coordination between the Ministry of Land. The National Land Commission and the survey of Kenya remain major obstacles slowing the process.
”Land grabbing continues because of systemic loopholes. We need a unified land policy and database, ” he said.
As of 2019, only 30 per cent of 32,354 public schools had secured title deeds, leaving over 22,648 schools exposed to potential land grabbing. About 4,100 schools have formally reported being at risk.
This revelation comes amid reports that eight acres of land belonging to Mathari Teaching and Referral Hospital have been encroached upon by an undisclosed private developer who has erected a temporary fence on the unfenced portion of the property.
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