Avoid purchasing 'questionable' land, CS Wahome warns

Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome. [Boniface Okendo,Standard]

Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has urged Kenyans to be careful when purchasing land with a history of issues, saying that some are rushing into such deals without conducting due diligence.

"Kenyans seem to be rushing to buy land with issues. I don't know whether it is naivety or a culture of Kenyans who want to buy land where there are questions," Wahome said during a briefing on customary tenure rights in Nairobi on Tuesday, October 17.

She said that the Ministry and the National Land Commission (NLC) have a responsibility of titling and rejecting land that is questionable, adding that Kenyans must take the issue of grabbed land very seriously.

"I want to ask Kenyans to be slow. We are not short of good land with proper titles. I will give the status of titling and other updates at a later date."

Wahome's remarks come in the back of ongoing evictions on East African Portland Cement PLC (EAPC) land in Athi River, Machakos County, where hundreds of residents have been left homeless.

The evictions have entered the fourth day despite pleas by the victims and some leaders from Ukambani for the government to halt the demolitions and engage in a dialogue.

Some of the affected residents have spent nights in the cold since the demolitions started on Friday.

Among those who have pleaded with President William Ruto to order the stoppage of the demolitions include Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and MPs Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Stephen Mule (Matungulu) and their Kathiani counterpart Robert Mbui.

The demolitions on land LR No. 10424 began three days after a Machakos High Court declared EAPC the legitimate owner of the 4,298 acres located along Mombasa Road, south of Athi River township.

Meanwhile, EAPC has notified the public that it has put part of its land in Athi River up for sale, amid the ongoing demolitions.