Kenyans with land registration and survey complaints will have to wait longer after the State withdrew a Bill that sought to create an avenue for filing the cases. The withdrawal comes after the National Assembly’s Leader of Majority Amos Kimunya successfully lobbied Speaker Justin Muturi to withdraw the Land Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2020, then sponsored by his predecessor Aden Duale.
The Bill had proposed establishment of the Office of a Complaints Reviewer in the Lands Registry giving it statutory powers to receive, process and resolve all complaints relating to land registration and surveying.
It was envisioned that it would help ease business in the country. Its withdrawal is meant to allow for wider and comprehensive engagements with key stakeholders considering that its (office) establishment may be done administratively, Mr Muturi said.
Under Mr Duale’s proposal, office of the reviewer would have been staffed by officers employed by the Public Service Commission and not those from the Ministry of Land.
“This is geared towards ensuring the effective delivery of land registration and survey services by giving the public an avenue for lodging complaints and having their complaints resolved effectively,” the withdrawn Bill states in its memorandum of objects and reasons.
The Bill restricted the reviewer to only consider complaints that have been fully considered within the internal complaints procedures at the Land Registry and Survey of Kenya.
