NLC says land leases signed after 2013 without Commission seal are fake

The National Land Commission (NLC) has warned of a high number of illegal leases and grants being used by a growing number of land grabbers.

According to the commission, any lease or certificate of leases issued after March 2013 not signed by it is not a legal document.

NLC Chairman Prof. Muhammad Swazuri in a statement in the dailies says there have been an increasing number of land grabbers using fake leases to take over land across the country.

Prof. Swazuri said all leases that don’t bear the commissions seal are null and void.

“This is to remind members of the public, banking institutions and all other entities that any such lease or certificate of lease issued after 1^st or March 2013 and not signed and sealed by the commission is not a legal document and should not be used for any transaction,” Prof Swazuri said.

The latest case to gain national publicity is when a fake land lease and order were used to destroy family property in Parklands.

Land owners have been urged to consult with the national land commission to ascertain the status of their leases.

“In addition members of the public are advised to surrender them to the commission for correction and or regularization,” he said.

Surveyors have urged the government to take full control of land transactions in the country to cut down on cases of fraud.

Through the Institute of Surveyors of Kenya, they also want all land records digitized to ease transfer and boost investor confidence.

This is bound to open a battle front with counties such as Nairobi, where Governor Evans Kidero maintains it’s the county that is mandated to renew land leases in the county.