Land Sector Players Laud Reforms, Call for Action Against Corruption ¶
Land sector players have welcomed recent reforms aimed at tackling corruption in the sector, but are calling for more action to prevent impunity.
According to a report by the Land Development and Governance Institute (LDGI), corruption in the land sector remains a major concern for the public, with 51% of respondents rating corruption as high in land transactions.
LDGI Executive Director Mwenda Makathimo noted that enormous service-level bribery is prevalent in government bodies overseeing the land sector, and that this is a major concern to the public.
“51% of the respondents still found that corruption is rife in land transactions and rated it as high, 49% of the respondents rated corruption as low,” the LDGI report shows.
Makathimo emphasized that the latest figures imply that the incidences of corruption are still high and that this calls for swift stringent action in a bid to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
“More measures to enhance integrity of officers are necessary highly include corruption, accessibility and awareness of the ongoing reforms in the lands sector,” he said.
The LDGI report also highlighted that majority of the members of the public still view the Land Control Boards with a lot of suspicion, citing high corruption in the Boards, nepotism and favoritism, unmotivated members, and gender imbalance in composition of the Boards.
Yet, the incidences of Corruption do not end here. The reports shows that 36% of Kenyans are of the view that corruption is rife in the courts. The institute concluded that corruption is still significant in the courts, and that a lot needs to be done to eliminate it.
LDGI Chair Ibrahim Mwathane noted that user feedback should be used to improve the online Land Information Management System, dubbed “ARDHISASA”, incrementally.
“Ardhisasa fits into our wider policy and legal contexts, which require that Kenya establishes a modern land information management system, to make it possible to transact on electronic records, an amendment of the statutes governing the submission and processing of land records, and the payment of land revenues,” he said.
The reforms notwithstanding, LDGI asserts that tackling corruption in the administration and processes of land management remains critical.
