Nyahururu: The government has approved the waiver of accrued interest on Settlement Fund Trust (SFT) loans amounting to Sh5.3 billion, offering relief to thousands of Kenyans awaiting title deeds. Lands Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alice Wahome said the waiver covers only accrued interest, which makes up about 45 percent of the total outstanding loans, and not the principal amounts owed.
According to Kenya News Agency, CS Wahome urged beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity by clearing the principal balances with the Land Adjudication and Settlement Department in order to secure their title deeds. "The pressure was on us to waive the interest, but this is a consultative process with the Treasury and had to be approved by Cabinet. Now that it is done, Kenyans should move quickly to complete their payments," the CS said.
CS Wahome also announced that the Nyahururu Land Registry, which currently serves Nyandarua and parts of Samburu County, will be relocated to Olkalou within the next three months. She directed staff at the Nyahururu office to prepare for the move and finalize pending work, noting that the relocation will bring land services closer to the people of Nyandarua.
"The delay in moving the registry was due to incomplete works on the Olkalou facility. Those have now been addressed, and we are finalizing security measures to safeguard land records," she added.
On digitisation, Wahome said the ministry had achieved 98 percent digital conversion of land records in Nairobi, with work ongoing in Murang'a, Machakos, and Mombasa. She added that another 15 counties have been identified for rollout as the government pushes for full digitisation of registries nationwide.
The CS was on an inspection tour of land registries and affordable housing projects in Nakuru, Nyandarua, and Laikipia counties. In Nyandarua, she visited the Olkalou Land Registry, an affordable housing project, and the Nyahururu Land Registry, and later proceeded to Rumuruti in Laikipia County.