Buying property? How you can avoid being conned by 'cartels'

Demolitions at a controversial land in Athi River on October 16, 2023. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

A lot of finger-pointing and blame games are going around regarding the demolitions in Athi River. It is truly sad to watch palatial homes, churches, and schools being flattened by bulldozers. But amid the ruins, the one establishment that should be demolished remains standing: The cartels in the real estate industry.

Cases of irregular government land allocation and land grabbing by "cartels" remain a reality in the real estate sector, exposing developers and individuals to losses. The intricate web extends to government officials who falsify land records to criminals printing land titles in "River Road" targeting innocent and sometimes gullible Kenyans in pursuit of cheap land deals.

A 2021 report by the National Crime Research Centre shows a high prevalence of land-related crimes. Double allocation came first at 36.5 per cent, removal of land beacons at 31.5 per cent, collusion with government officials at 25.4 per cent, forging of land documents at 23.2 per cent, alteration of land maps/boundaries at 22 per cent, and conspiracy to defraud at 21 per cent. These are the top methods perpetrators use to steal from their victims.