This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
Thursday, October 10, 2019, marked a significant step towards affordable housing in Kenya as the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning continued its digitization of land registries.
According to the ministry, seven of the 61 land registries in Kenya are fully digitized, with the rest expected to go digital within the next 12 months.
The goal of digitizing registries is to cut down the time taken in land or property registration, with the ministry aiming to retain only key procedures during registration and standardize the time required for each.
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has been supportive of upstream property reforms in Kenya.
Through its Kenya Investment Climate Programme, IFC has collaborated with the Government of Kenya to reduce the time and procedures involved in property registration.
Studies have shown a direct correlation between high registration costs and high prices of houses in Kenya, resulting in millions of lower-income households being priced out or unable to access a mortgage due to the lack of a formal title.
Efficient titling of land and property transfer, combined with changes to outdated laws and regulations, will help sharpen the competitive edge of Kenya's real estate sector.
Presently, the cost of property registration in Kenya is much higher compared to its neighbours due to registration inefficiencies, blocking most urban families from buying a house or building their own home.
The World Bank-funded Kenya Affordable Housing Finance Project will provide technical assistance to the Land ministry to create an enabling environment for property registration, as part of the government's goal of expanding access to affordable housing.
