Land Sector Corruption Persists Amid Reforms ¶
Kenya's land sector continues to grapple with corruption, despite ongoing reforms aimed at improving governance and reducing graft.
According to a recent report by the Land Development and Governance Institute (LDGI), corruption in the land sector remains a significant concern. The report, released on June 15, 2021, highlights the need for swift and stringent action to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
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. Makathimo emphasized the need for more measures to enhance the integrity of officers, including corruption, accessibility, and awareness of ongoing reforms in the lands sector.
The report also found that majority of the members of the public still view the Land Control Boards with a lot of suspicion, citing high corruption, nepotism, and favoritism, unmotivated members, and gender imbalance in composition of the Boards.
Furthermore, the report shows that 36% of Kenyans are of the view that corruption is rife in the courts, and that a lot needs to be done to eliminate it. The speed with which court processes or judgment are being delivered is yet another worry, with majority of the respondents dissatisfied with the time taken by the Land and Environment Court to make judgment.
However, the LDGI is upbeat that the ongoing digitization of land registries will streamline management practices and significantly diminish graft in the area of land. The Institute supports and lauds government efforts in developing an online Land Information Management System to enhance efficiency and reduce costs of transacting on land.
LDGI Chair Ibrahim Mwathane noted that user feedback should be used to improve the system incrementally. He said the new online system dubbed “ARDHISASA” will make it possible to pose real-time queries on property ownership to the system.
