Land agency revokes Ngilu’s choice of official

Land agency revokes Ngilu’s choice of official

October 25

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The National Land Commission (NLC) has stamped its authority by revoking Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu’s appointment of an official to sign title deeds.

Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu

NLC has now appointed its chairman, Dr Mohammad Swazuri, and secretary Tom Chavangi to authenticate the common seal of the commission and sign titles to land, which include leases and grants.
The appointment was made in a gazette notice dated October 18 under Section 24 of the NLC Act and Section 23 of the Land Act.
It added that it will prosecute anyone in a court of law for fraudulently procuring the registration or issuance of any document or instrument relating to land, contrary to Section 157 of the Land Act.
STRONG WARNING
“The commission strongly warns that it is an offence for any person to purport to sign titles, unless such a person is authorised to do so in writing and appointed through a gazette notice signed by the chairman of the commission,” said Swazuri.


He said in a public notice the offence is punishable by a Sh10 million fine or imprisonment for a term of 10 years, or both.
Ngilu recently appointed former Coast Province Lands Officer Peter Kang’ethe Kahuho as the acting Director General on an interim basis.
She empowered Kahuho to sign land titles with immediate effect and revoked the appointment of Zablon Mabea, former Commissioner of Lands, in the same capacity.
Both the Land Act 2012 and the Land Registration Act 2012 that the cabinet secretary cited in her latest appointment as well as the constitution do not envisage the position of Director General of Lands.
In the notice, Swazuri said all titles arising from leases and grants will be processed at Ardhi House under the commission’s direction.
By CYRUS OMBATI, The Standard