Narok County Government suspends town physical planner over irregularities

Narok Governor Samuel Tunai takes oath of office in 2013. (Photo:File/Standard)

By Steve Mkawale

Narok, Kenya: The County Government of Narok has with immediate effect suspended the town physical planner Levis Kimeu over allegation of double allocation of land.

Governor Samuel Tunai has also suspended all land transactions on land in the county until when the County Land Management Board is duly constituted with consultation the National Land Commission and in accordance with the National Land Act 2012.

The move follows numerous complaints of irregular sub-division illegal sale of land by officials in the Lands department and some unscrupulous land developers.

“Women and families have been left landless because their land has been sold irregularly. Land meant for conservation has been turned into non productive agriculture ventures,” said Tunai in statement released to the media though the Ms Diana Daido, the Director of Press - Office of the Governor.

The governor said the physical planner shall remain suspended until cases of double allocation of plots and irregular issuance of title deeds are fully investigated.

“Government land has also been encroached on during his watch against other serious allegations that we have received,” Tunai said.

He directed that all land transactions in the county will in future involve members of families willing to dispose off their parcels of land including wives and children.

“This will avoid a situation where men (husbands) dispose family land without the knowledge of their families,” said Tunai.

Tunai said corruption has been rife in land acquisition and disposal and directed the local Land Registrar Philip Mengi to stop issuance of title deeds until the board is constituted.

For the past one year land speculators and cartels have invaded the county to cash in on illegal sale of communal land in a region seen to be have huge economic potential since the inception of county governments.

The governor warned that land officers who would not abide by the directive and those who have been implicated in double allocation of plots would be sacked.

Tunai said all title deeds and allotment letters that were issued by the local lands registry and the defunct Narok town council would be verified by a team of legal experts and Lands Ministry officials, claiming that most of them were not genuine.