Parliament will conduct an inquiry into the ownership status of all parcels of land owned by the State.
The National Assembly’s Lands committee has been tasked to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the ownership status of all parcels of land owned by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The committee has six months to conduct the investigation and to table its findings alongside a Bill on vesting the custody of all public lands title deeds in the National Treasury for enactment by Parliament.
The recommendations are contained in a report of the Public Investments Committee on Social Services, Administration, and Agriculture on its examination of audited accounts of seven State Corporations for the financial years 2019/20 to 2024/25.
“Within six months upon the adoption of this report, the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Lands should conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the ownership of all parcels of land owned by ministries, departments and agencies,” Emmanuel Wangwe, who chairs the watchdog committee, said in a report tabled in the House.
“The objective of the inquiry is to ensure that all public land vests in the respective government entities with legal title and possession. In this respect the Departmental Committee shall propose a Bill for enactment by the National Assembly that provides for vesting the custody of all public lands title deeds in the National Treasury.”
A vesting order is a legal instrument or court directive that formally transfers ownership of land from one owner to an acquiring entity without a traditional conveyance process.
The committee, in its scrutiny of the books of audited accounts for the seven State Corporations, observed that various agencies including the National Youth Service (NYS), Communications Authority (CA), Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK), Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa), and Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) have various parcels of land spread across the country.
Mr Wangwe-led committee said ownership documents were missing for various parcels of land, and others had ownership disputes, while others had either been grabbed or encroached into, denying the institutions chances of utilising the parcels of land.
According to the report, the NYS had land measuring 2,217 hectares in Yatta, Mavaloni, Athi River, Mombasa Technical Training Institute and Mwatate, which had not been fenced and had been encroached.
The report notes that although the NYS management had initiated the process of demarcation, the process had not been finalised.
The report indicates that several parcels of land, including the Engineering Unit at NYS Headquarters and Mombasa, have been encroached by private developers who have constructed various structures, but it was not clear if proper legal actions have been taken to claim the land back.
Encroached by private developer
“The committee heard that included in the property, plant and equipment balance of Sh2.936 billion is an amount of Sh20.2 billion for 69 parcels of land owned by the Service,” the committee said in its findings on the scrutiny of the 2024/25 audited report.
“However, ownership documentation was not provided for six parcels of land.”
At the Communications Authority, the report shows that the telecommunications regulator was yet to vest 4.469 hectares out of its originally titled 5.592 hectares of freehold land at its Nairobi headquarters.
This is after the National Government compulsorily acquired 1.123 hectares of land to facilitate the expansion of the James Gichuru-Rironi road.
The CA told the committee that the National Land Commission (NLC) had not responded to its request for assistance in the acquisition of a property and title deed for the parcel known as Garissa Township/Block 11/73 despite several correspondences and the latest reminder dated 17 February, 2026.
The Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) has a property, plant and equipment balance of Sh1.79 billion in relation to 14 parcels of land which have not been supported by valuation reports.
“The land balance also includes four parcels of land amounting to Sh15 million which have not been surveyed,” the report says.
“Management has not explained how the values for un-surveyed land were determined.”
The report also indicates that parcels in Kisumu municipality valued at Sh25 million had been encroached by a private developer and acquired ownership rights, land measuring 0.9852 hectares valued at Sh7.5 million in Kakamega municipality was exchanged for a parcel of land valued at Sh3 million, while two parcels of land in Embakasi valued at Sh220 million lease was revoked by the National Land Commission.
While appearing before the committee, the Kemsa management said the land exchanged at Sh3 million had since been reallocated to another use, but the County government of Kakamega had allocated it a different parcel and which has been recognised in its books of accounts.
“For the two parcels of land in Embakasi valued at Sh220 million whose lease titles were revoked by the NLC, Kemsa is pursuing sublease for a period of 99 years from Kenya Airports Authority,” the authority told lawmakers.
The Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) has 20 developed plots measuring 5.3324 hectares valued at Sh191.63 million and nine undeveloped plots measuring 1,5383 hectares worth Sh795,443, against which respective ownership documents were not availed for audit review.
The committee said the value of land and buildings excludes various parcels of land located in Busia, Nanyuki and Kerugoya whose ownership is in dispute.
The report revealed that the Child Welfare Society of Kenya (CWSK) did not provide title documents for 12 parcels of land valued at Sh390.67 million for audit review.
“The committee observed that the Society does not posses title deeds for five parcels of land held under the Trustee account located at the Konza City (Plots 1 and 2), Nyandarua (Blocks 1 and 2), and Kitui Kyagwathya Mulut,” the report states.
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