Kiambu: Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alice Wahome, has put on notice officials at the Kiambu Land Registries over theft of government revenue, warning that action will be taken against those found culpable. The CS said in most of the Land Offices she has visited, gaps in revenue collection and filing have been noticed, indicating theft of public funds.
According to Kenya News Agency, during an impromptu visit to the Kiambu and Ruiru Land Registries, CS Wahome announced plans to intensify supervision and evaluation to eliminate theft and seal loopholes for corruption, enabling the government to secure much-needed revenue for development. She highlighted instances involving land rates where unscrupulous officers and valuers from the Ministry engage in fraudulent deals with property buyers and sellers.
The CS cited examples of transactions with significant discrepancies between the stated and actual values, emphasizing the role of compromised valuers in facilitating such fraudulent activities. Wahome announced that measures are being implemented to digitize all transactions to curb revenue loss, with the Ministry aiming to double annual collections from Sh15 billion to Sh30 billion.
Wahome noted that the Ministry previously collected Sh9 billion in revenue, but through digitization efforts, the amount has increased to Sh15 billion this year. She stressed the importance of efficient service delivery to Kenyans, stating that any revenue loss could adversely affect departmental operations. During her visit to the Ruiru Lands Registry, accompanied by area Legislator Simon King'ara, she highlighted the need for improved performance among registrars and officials to meet revenue targets.
The CS identified the Ruiru, Kiambu, Narok, Machakos, Eldoret, Thika, Naivasha, Ngong, Kajiado, and Mombasa registries as key revenue collection centers, indicating a focus on streamlining operations in these locations. Earlier, at the Kiambu Lands Registry, Wahome urged officials to improve performance or face consequences.
She also announced plans to renovate and expand land registries nationwide, addressing space constraints affecting service delivery. The CS highlighted the use of metal containers as temporary office space in the Ruiru and Kiambu registries, with plans for long-term expansion to accommodate increasing service demands due to land parcel subdivisions in peri-urban areas.