{"id":139058,"date":"2026-04-27T11:02:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T11:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/mps-order-nlc-to-recover-grabbed-ntsa-land-in-voi\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T11:02:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T11:02:43","slug":"mps-order-nlc-to-recover-grabbed-ntsa-land-in-voi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/mps-order-nlc-to-recover-grabbed-ntsa-land-in-voi\/","title":{"rendered":"MPs Order NLC to Recover Grabbed NTSA Land in Voi"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 27 \u2013 A parliamentary watchdog committee has directed the National Land Commission (NLC) to move with speed and help recover a six-acre parcel of land in Voi Municipality.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The parcel of land had been earmarked for a National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) motor vehicle inspection centre, but has since been grabbed and encroached upon by squatters.<\/p>\n

The land, originally set aside for public use in 1969 and first allocated to the Kenya Police Service before later being transferred to NTSA, is now occupied by squatters who have erected structures and moved to court to block their eviction.<\/p>\n

The parcel is the subject of an ongoing court case, with the NLC listed as a party. Citing public interest, the Taita Taveta County Government has proposed allocating NTSA an alternative parcel of equivalent size in exchange for relinquishing the disputed land to the current occupants.<\/p>\n

However, during a fact-finding mission to Voi Town, members of the National Assembly\u2019s Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education insisted the matter must be conclusively resolved by the NLC, which has been mandated by the court to determine the legitimacy of competing claims and recommend an appropriate resolution within 180 days.<\/p>\n

The meeting, attended by both national and county officials, exposed deep-rooted disputes over the alternative parcel offered by the county, including questions around ownership, existing encumbrances, and whether the land legally belongs to the county government or private entities.<\/p>\n

Kasipul MP Hon. Boyd Were, who is also the committee\u2019s vice chairperson, questioned the suitability of the alternative land while leading members to inspect the proposed site.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs the land sufficient? We already have a stadium and a showground, and now NTSA is to be accommodated there. Is it adequate?\u201d he posed.The concerns come in the wake of an audit query by the Auditor-General, which flagged inconsistencies in NTSA\u2019s property records for the 2024\/2025 financial year.
According to the report, NTSA listed property, plant and equipment worth Sh1.69 billion, including Sh264.7 million in land and buildings.
However, only two out of 15 parcels earmarked for motor vehicle inspection centres nationwide have valid title deeds.
The remaining parcels either have letters of allotment or lack any ownership documentation, raising doubts about the accuracy of the authority\u2019s asset register.
NTSA officials led by Director Corporate Support Services Mr. John Sisey admitted facing persistent challenges in securing ownership of the Voi land, citing repeated discoveries of encumbrances during official searches.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been frustrated. Our board has been frustrated,\u201d said NTSA Deputy Director for Motor Vehicle Inspection, Eng. Joel Opere.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cEvery time we do a search, we find encumbrances. You don\u2019t know whether to proceed. As custodians of public property, we must act with certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members of the committee expressed concern over the shifting details surrounding the parcel allegedly owned by the County, with Igembe Central MP Hon. Daniel Karitho noting discrepancies in land previously shown to the authority as an equivalent alternative land.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe land you are showing us today is not the same as what was initially presented to NTSA. That is not fair. The governor must intervene personally to resolve this matter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Central Imenti MP Hon. Moses Kirima questioned how a private cooperative could claim interest in land presumed to be public, warning that the lack of clarity could trigger further disputes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo prove ownership of this 50-acre parcel, where is the title deed? Ownership of property is anchored on documentation; without it, there is no ownership,\u201d said Hon. Kirima.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what assurance do you have that once the land is allocated to NTSA, the alleged owners, Vide Multipurpose Cooperative Society, will not move to stop the project once development begins?\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout proper documentation, that is not your property. Make it legally yours first,\u201d said Kilome MP Hon. Thaddeus Nzambia.<\/p>\n

Officials from the Taita Taveta County Government led Governor Andrew Mwadime confirmed that an alternative parcel of land had been identified for possible allocation to NTSA as part of a proposed settlement.<\/p>\n

County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Elizabeth Mkongo, said the county was working to regularize the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have planned the land and are working towards transferring it appropriately. We are engaging all stakeholders to ensure a lawful and transparent process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

However, the NLC cautioned that any resolution must follow due legal procedures.<\/p>\n

The commission\u2019s Vice-Chairperson, Dr. Julia Oseko, emphasized that its constitutional mandate is to investigate the claims, determine their validity and recommend appropriate remedies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe court directed the commission to determine the propriety of the claims and make recommendations on resettlement within 180 days. That is exactly what we are doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She added that the commission would assess whether current occupants have legitimate claims before deciding on possible outcomes, including resettlement, compensation or alternative land allocation.<\/p>\n

NLC Director of Legal Affairs Brian Ikol said investigations into the dispute began last year and are still ongoing.<\/p>\n

He noted that the county government had proposed compensating NTSA with an alternative parcel to allow local residents to remain on the contested land.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must consider all processes, including allocation, surrender and transfer of public land. These are legal procedures that fall squarely within the commission\u2019s mandate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Ikol also revealed that the NLC had recently regained powers to review land grants and is in the process of drafting regulations to guide such reviews. Public participation on the regulations is expected soon, with hearings targeted to begin by September.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to conclude the regulatory framework and begin hearings within the next three months. This will allow us to address not just this case, but broader historical land injustices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Hon. Tiyah Galgallo cautioned against rushed decisions, noting that reserved public land cannot be allocated without due process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no need for shortcuts. When land is reserved, it is not available for allocation. Any discussions on reallocating such land must follow the law,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The committee members emphasized the urgency of resolving the matter, noting that uncertainty over land ownership continues to hinder critical public investments, including the establishment of motor vehicle inspection centres aimed at improving road safety.<\/p>\n

The MPs said they expect the NLC process to provide clarity and accountability, while ensuring that public interest is safeguarded.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 27 \u2013 A parliamentary watchdog committee has directed the National Land Commission (NLC) to move with speed and help recover a six-acre parcel of land in Voi Municipality. The parcel of land had been earmarked for a National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) motor vehicle inspection centre, but has since been grabbed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139058\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}