The Central Lands Registry, whose offices are located in Ardhi House, Upperhill Nairobi, was shut down after its operations were migrated to an online platform following the official launch of the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS) by President Uhuru Kenyatta last month. The launch of the digital land platform named ‘Ardhi Sasa’, first rolled out in Nairobi will be implemented in other counties in phases to contain fraud in the land sector.
The land digitization program will enable Kenyans to:
1. Conduct real-time land searches to determine the location, ownership, size, and previous records of the property.
2. Unlike in the past, when title deeds had to be obtained physically, you can now apply for them directly through the system. This will eliminate the delays and inconvenient situations that previously existed in land registries.
3. With the press of a button, Kenyans can sell land and undertake practically every land transaction, reducing human interaction, delays, and other inconveniences in land registries.
4. By eliminating the need for brokers, fraud and exploitation by fraudsters and middlemen in land transactions will be reduced, and
5. Reduce corruption and illicit transactions while supporting investigating organizations like the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in the fight against fraud in the land sector.
The new digital platform also includes the introduction of Registry Index Maps (RIMs) in place of the old system that relied on deed plans. RIMs can now display all land parcels within a given area, whereas a deed plan used in the previous system could only capture data on a single parcel, making it easier to spot any changes or alterations. This new platform is anticipated to make land transactions easier and more transparent, as well as reduce fraudulent transactions like land grabs, which have plagued the industry for decades.
Budget Estimates for the Years 2021/2022
The Big 4 Agenda continued to gain traction in the budget, with Kshs 135.3 billion being set aside for it. Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC) has recruited three advisors, namely NCBA Investment Bank, Lion’s Head Global Partners, and Mboya Wangong’u & Waiyaki Advocates, to guide it through its planned green bond issue, which is set to take place between July and September this year. Acorn Holdings also revealed plans to limit the construction of its student dormitories to a 3.0 KM radius of chosen colleges to improve student preferences and lower transportation costs.
In the retail sector, Naivas supermarket, a local retail chain, has announced plans to open three stores by mid-June 2021, in an expansion drive that will see it take over spaces previously occupied by Tuskys Supermarket in two locations: Muindi Mbingu Street in Nairobi’s CBD and Simba Club Hall in Kisumu, and Githurai 44 on Kamiti Road.
Following increased budgetary allocation to roads, housing, urban development, and public works, the real estate sector is likely to improve, with land remaining a desirable investment option.
