KISUMU, Kenya Feb 8 – Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has raised concern over the high number of forged land title deeds in western Kenya, warning that the practice must be stopped through arrests and prosecutions.
During an impromptu visit to the Kisumu lands office on Friday, Wahome said many Kenyans are unknowingly holding fake title deeds, a situation that has fueled land disputes in the region. She urged those in possession of forged documents to surrender them to the land office.
“For quite some time, there have been a lot of forged documents in circulation,” she said.
The CS also put corrupt lands officers on notice, vowing that the government will take action against officials involved in facilitating the issuance of fraudulent documents. She announced that a clean-up exercise is already underway to identify and eliminate fake titles.
“The clean-up is ongoing, and we will seal all loopholes that allow the issuance of forged documents,” she said.
Wahome further warned that officials who sign off on fraudulent land documents will be held accountable.
“It is possible to trace from the records who made the entries leading to the issuance of fake green cards,” she said.
She urged Kenyans to follow due process when purchasing land to avoid falling victim to fraud.
“If you want to buy land, don’t rely on a search provided by the owner of the title. Verify it through our registry,” she advised.
Wahome also noted that Kisumu is experiencing a high number of land disputes, particularly those related to boundaries and succession. She revealed that the Kisumu lands registrar is handling at least four disputes per week, with officials frequently deployed to resolve cases as directed by the courts.
“I appeal to the people of this region to stop encroaching on each other’s boundaries,” she said.