The Lands Ministry has blamed corrupt cartels for the theft of 367 security papers from the Government Printing Office to produce forged title deeds.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry said that one officer working at the Government Printer had been arrested over the incident.
The Government Printer Abdi Hassan Ali had on Friday, September 26 issued a Gazette notice saying title deeds bearing serial numbers 5253001-5253367 had been lost.
In the notice, the Office of the Head of Public Service emphasised that the government would not accept any liability for unauthorised transactions related to the documents.
“The Government will not take any liability arising from any unauthorised transaction(s) on the said Title Deeds and that by dint of this notice, they are deemed cancelled and of no effect,” read the notice.
However, the Ministry clarified that the stolen documents were not actual title deeds but rather the printing papers required to create them.
“The Ministry of Lands relies on the Government Printer for the provision of the security documents used for printing Title Deeds. We would like to reassure Kenyans that what was stolen at the Government Printer are not title deeds but the papers that are used for printing titles,” it said.
According to the ministry, the papers can only become title deeds after they are handed over to the Ministry of Lands, filled with ownership details and sealed with the stamp and signature of the Registrar after all due processes are followed.
“The most obvious motivation for the theft of the papers was an intention by corrupt cartels to produce fake titles. The Government Printer has informed us that one officer working at the Printer has already been arrested by the security agencies in relation to the theft,” the Ministry added.
To combat land fraud, the Ministry said it has strengthened its collaboration with security agencies to dismantle the schemes that corrupt officials and cartels have traditionally employed.
They assured the public that measures are in place to prevent any stolen documents from jeopardising land ownership.
The Ministry reassured citizens that the integrity of the titling process remains intact and secure.
