The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested Busia land registrar Collins Aiela Liyayi on allegations that he demanded and received a bribe of Sh10,000 from a complainant in exchange for releasing a processed title deed.
The Commission alleges that Mr Liyayi withheld the title deed, despite having finalised its processing, until the bribe, disguised as a so-called 'release fee', was paid.
His arrest followed a targeted operation by the EACC, prompted by multiple complaints from Busia County residents. The Commission stated that Mr Liyayi had allegedly made it a routine practice to withhold land titles from members of the public unless they yielded to his illicit demands.
“The Land Registrar has allegedly made it a habit to withhold titles processed for members of the public seeking services at the Lands Registry, after which he demands bribes to release them,” read a statement from EACC.
Following his arrest, Mr Liyayi was taken to the EACC Western Regional Office in Bungoma for initial processing and was later taken to Bungoma Police Station pending further legal processes.
The Commission has pledged to intensify intelligence gathering and surveillance, particularly in public institutions known to be vulnerable to bribery and corruption.
Ongoing investigations have placed Mr Liyayi, and several other land registrars, at the heart of widespread corruption and land fraud across the wider Western region.
“No land grabber walks into an office and awards themselves a title deed; there must be an official from the Ministry of Lands involved,” the Commission said in its statement.
The EACC said that numerous contested parcels of public land are currently under the control of private developers, and that investigations ongoing. Some of the contested properties include land under the Ministry of Housing, as well as official residences assigned to senior government administrators.
