Land Sector Corruption Persists Amid Reforms ¶
A recent report by the Land Development and Governance Institute (LDGI) reveals that corruption in the land sector remains a significant concern in Kenya.
According to the report, 51% of respondents still found that corruption is rife in land transactions and rated it as high, while 49% of respondents rated corruption as low.
LDGI Executive Director Mwenda Makathimo noted that enormous service-level bribery is prevalent in government bodies that oversee the land sector, and that this is a major concern to the public.
‘More measures to enhance the integrity of officers are necessary, including corruption, accessibility, and awareness of the ongoing reforms in the lands sector,’ Makathimo said.
The 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, nepotism, and favoritism, unmotivated members, and gender imbalance in the 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.
LDGI Chair Ibrahim Mwathane noted that user feedback should be used to improve the online Land Information Management System, dubbed ‘ARDHISASA’, which will make it possible to pose real-time queries on property ownership to the system.
‘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,’ Mwathane said.
