Friday, 7 March, 2025
Lands Committee decries slow rate of Land Registries Digitization Program𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Lands has raised concerns about the slow pace of the land registry digitization programme, despite being a priority area in proposals for budget increment.
This emerged when the Committee met The Principal Secretary at the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, Hon. Nixon Korir, for a review of the Supplementary Budget Estimates No. 2, FY 2024/2025.
Committee Members led by Chairperson Hon. Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango) noted that the digitization program had a proposed increment of Kshs. 434 Million in Supplementary Estimate No. 2 for FY 2024/25, but argued that the rollout of the programme was slow.
The MPs also sought clarification on what further digitization programs the State Department was doing in registries that had already transitioned to digital status.
The PS told the MPs that the allocations were aimed at facilitating back-end aspects of the digital registries, including system maintenance and upgrade as well as consultancy services relating to running the program and expansion of the same to other registries.
"Mr. PS what we need to know is if the system we have is a long-term solution that will not need us to again allocate funds for its overhaul," posed Hon. Nyamoko.
The PS indicated that the system had been set up by a multi-agency team comprising officers from the Lands Ministry and other State Agencies such as the National Intelligence Service, among others, owing to the emerging threats in cyber security and the need to digitally secure land-related data.
Other MPs also sought to know what measures the State Department was rolling out to absorb existing staff into running or the system to eventually do away with external consultancy as a cost-cutting measure.
The PS said the State Department had, through the Public Service Commission, recently undertaken a recruitment of relevant technical staff in a process that saw some of the serving officers absorbed into the new roles.
The State Department is seeking to revise its Recurrent Expenditure by Kshs. 404 Million and the Development Expenditure by Kshs. 1.77 Billion, bringing the total change estimates to Kshs. 2.174 Billion.
Separately the Committee also met officials from the National Land Commission (NLC) led by CEO Ms. Kabale Tache over the same.
During the meeting, the NLC also delved into land-related matters, including recent concerns on delays in compensation of persons displaced by the government-undertaken infrastructural projects.
Upon drafting a Report on the two entities with regard to the Supplementary Budget Estimates, the Committee Chairperson will defend the same before the Liason Committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker.
The Liason Committee is processing the current Supplementary Budget Estimates owing to the pending full reconstitution of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, which is due to elect its new leadership.