All Public Learning Institutions Will Be Issued With Tittle Deeds- PAC Told

The Lands Ministry has stepped up the planned issuance of title deeds to all public learning institutions in the country, the Public Accounts Committee has been told.

Lands Principal Secretary Hon Nixon Korir told the Hon John Mbadi-led Committee that the Ministry was collecting data of all the schools without the vital documents to enable them benefit through the ambitious programme.

“We have directed the Education Committee to submit to the Ministry schools that do not have land title deeds,” said Hon Korir who is also the former Lang’ata MP.

He added: “I have formed a technical committee comprising of officers from the Education, Treasury and Lands Ministries and the Counties to help fast-track the process.”

The PS informed the Committee he has involved the Treasury in the exercise to help in ensuring that charges put on title deeds are waived during the implementation of the plan.

“We have asked the Treasury to excempt the institutions from paying charges imposed on the title deeds so that we can issue them under public interest,” he added.

The Committee had noted with concern that learning institutions were embroiled in disputes with individuals who were taking advantage of lack of title deeds to grab their land.

Gatundu South MP Hon Gabriel Kagombe lamented that he was dealing with 159 cases of primary schools that were seeking title deeds so as to develop the institutions.

“My efforts to have the schools get title deeds have been frustrating,” he said as he asked the PS to intervene and speed up the process.

Hon. Korir said he was aware of cases where churches that sponsored some schools have turned around to demand their land and assured the Committee that such cases will be a thing of the past once the schools get their title deeds.

The PS, who was responding to audit queries, was taken to task on why the Ministry failed to avail the land ownership documents, buildings and structures and transport equipment worth billions of shillings to auditors for audit review.

“Further scrutiny of the physical fixed assets register provided for audit revealed that the register was incomplete as it did not indicate details of assets, dates of acquisition and the cost of the assets,” the report read in part.

As a result, the report noted further, the ownership and valuation of the assets could not be confirmed by the auditors.