This archive report was first published on 22 September 2019.
The digitization of land records is a significant step towards ease of transaction and reducing corruption in the land sector.
According to Chief Administrative Secretary Gideon Mung'aro, the government aims to have all land registries fully digital by 2021.
Speaking in Nanyuki town, Mung'aro witnessed the handing over of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) equipment and agricultural equipment to the Laikipia Lands office, funded by the European Union and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The GIS equipment includes computers equipped with Global Positioning Systems, a server, a container for records storage, and phone tablets for field officers carrying out mapping.
The ministry is also sensitizing people on community land rights ahead of the digitization exercise to avoid tussles over communally owned parcels of land.
Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi hailed the GIS and agricultural equipment, saying they would assist in mapping land and proper planning of urban areas in the region.
As part of the initiative, nine counties have been issued with GIS equipment through funding from the EU, valued at $11 million.
The equipment is expected to help identify land parcels easily and improve access to social amenities across the country.
EU Ambassador to Kenya noted that the donation aims to make a big impact on local economies through easier access to land records.
FAO representative to Kenya, Gabriel Ngalema, said the GIS equipment would help resolve land disputes and get County Development Plans, while the agricultural machinery would assist in conservation agriculture for better yields to farmers and stem post-harvest wastage.
