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On borrowed ground: 44 of 64 Nairobi police stations sit on land they don’t own
Vigilance House in Nairobi, the National Police Service headquarters. The Service risks losing 44 of its police stations in Nairobi to land grabbers.
What you need to know:
- At least 44 police stations in Nairobi at risk of land grabbing due to the absence of ownership documents.
- 44 of the 64 police stations in Nairobi either lack title deeds, have untraceable ownership documents, sit on donated land without title, or are still in the process of acquiring ownership papers.
- Out of more than 3,000 parcels of land associated with the police, only 464 had title documents
The National Police Service risks losing 44 of its police stations in Nairobi to land grabbers due to the absence of ownership documents, a new report has revealed.
A report by Inspector General Douglas Kanja tabled before the Senate Committee on National Security, chaired by Garissa Senator Abdul Haji shows that 44 of the 64 police stations in Nairobi either lack title deeds, have untraceable ownership documents, sit on donated land without title, or are still in the process of acquiring ownership papers.
In Kilimani Sub-county, three facilities, Kileleshwa Police Station, Kibra Police Station and Sarangombe Police Post are affected, with their title deed status indicated as “not traced” or “no title deed” in the report. In Lang’ata, the list includes Lang’ata Police Station, Hardy Police Station, Akila Police Station and Bomas Police Post, while in Gigiri Sub-county, Loresho Police Post, Evergreen Police Post, Runda Police Station and Gigiri Police Station are flagged.
The trend extends to Dagoretti, where Kabete Police Station, Muthangari Police Station, Kawangware Police Post and Gatina Police Post lack proper documentation, and in Central where Parklands Police Station and Luthuli Police Post are similarly affected.
In Starehe subcounty, Ngara Police Station, Pangani Police Station, Eastleigh North Police Station, Eastleigh Airbase Police Post, Kariobangi Police Station, Lucky Summer Police Station, Utalii Police Station, Muthaiga Police Station, Korogocho Police Station and Drive Inn Police Station appear on the list.
In Kasarani Sub-county, Githurai 44 Police Post, Zimmerman Police Post, Clay City Police Post and Mwiki Police Station are affected, while in Makadara, Industrial Area Police Station, Makongeni Police Station, Kaloleni Police Post, Hamza Police Station, Land Mawe Police Post and Bahati Police Post lack ownership documents.
The report further lists Kayole Police Station, Matopeni Police Post, Twiga Patrol Base, Soweto Police Station, Masimba Police Post, Dandora Police Station and Huruma Police Post in Kayole Sub-county.
In Embakasi, Tassia Police Post and Mombasa Road Police Station are flagged, alongside Imara Daima Police Post and Expressway Police Post in Ruaraka, and Kamulu Police Station in Ruai, underscoring the widespread nature of the land ownership gaps across the police service.
The senators were also seeking clarity on the status of Capitol Hill Police Station, where IG Kanja told the committee that the facility, which was gazetted in 2011 under Land Reference No. 209/10531 measuring approximately 2.001 hectares, is registered in the name of the Permanent Secretary at the National Treasury as trustee for the National Police Service.
He explained that the government had since approved the transfer of the land to other institutions, including the Africa Trade Insurance Agency, financial sector regulators and St John Ambulance Kenya, prompting the initiation of a de-gazettement process.
Mr Kanja said the police sought legal advice from the Attorney General before declaring the land redundant for policing purposes, assuring senators that services would be redistributed to nearby facilities including Kilimani Police Station, Kenyatta National Hospital Police Post, Golf Course Police Post and Kemri Patrol Base.
“There will be no gap in the provision of the policing services in the area. The services will now be provided by the police stations that are near,” Mr Kanja said.
He added that a structured handover process was already underway, including the relocation of officers and transfer of records, ahead of the surrender of the title deed to facilitate the planned transfer.
This comes even as previous reports by the Auditor-General have raised sustained concern over land ownership gaps within the police service. Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu in a report for the year ended June 2025 warned that about 80 per cent of land occupied by the police service lacks title deeds, leaving vast tracts vulnerable to encroachment, competing claims and protracted legal disputes.
In one of her audits, Ms Gathungu noted that out of more than 3,000 parcels of land associated with the police, only 464 had title documents under the custody of the Deputy Inspector General.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja (left) and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
The audit further flagged accountability lapses, indicating that some title documents were said to be held by the National Treasury but were not availed for verification, raising questions about record management across government agencies.
The absence of clear documentation has, in several cases, complicated ownership claims, particularly for land originally donated by local communities for the construction of police stations, arrangements that were often informal and never regularised.
The consequences have already begun to surface. In Kisii, NPS recently moved the Kisii police station from the city center, where it has served locals for decades and taking it to Nyanchwa, a few kilometres away after it emerged that it stood on private land.
The land where the police station was set up belonged to an influential political family in the region, who had donated decades earlier only to reclaim it in 2026.
In counties such as Kiambu, police stations, including Gatundu North in Kamwangi and Makongeni in Thika, have faced disputes with individuals and groups laying claim to the land. Similar patterns have been reported in other parts of the country, where rising land values have intensified pressure on public land.
Economist and political activist Professor Fred Ogola argues that the absence of title deeds exposes police land to opportunistic claims and exploitation.
“Anybody… sitting somewhere in the land registry… can identify which police station does not have a title deed and register it under their name,” he said, warning that this could open the door to what he described as “land mining,” where individuals later demand payment from the State.
Prof Ogola said the situation creates a legal contradiction for law enforcement agencies.
“You cannot enforce law on land you don’t own… you are a squatter in a property and you claim you are enforcing law and order,” he said.
Prof Ogola further warned that the issue also speaks to land rights regarding ordinary Kenyans.
“What this tells ordinary Kenyans is that land ownership in this country is still fragile. If public institutions can lose land due to missing documents, then private citizens are even more exposed.”
He also questioned whether the gaps point to deeper systemic failures within State institutions.
“If Nairobi has this problem, how much is this problem outside Nairobi?” he posed, suggesting the issue could be replicated across the country.
He said the findings also point to deeper failures in how public land is managed across government, singling out the National Treasury as a critical bottleneck in resolving ownership gaps.
He noted that the continued holding of title documents outside the user institutions undermines accountability and exposes key public assets to risk.
“You cannot have a situation where the police are occupying land but do not hold the title, while another arm of government keeps the documents without clear records. That disconnect creates a loophole for abuse, including land grabbing,” he added.
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