Land owners in Kenya have been cautioned over an impending re-registration, as the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning embark on a new digital system under new laws. – By Daniel
Under the new laws, title deeds will be handled in reference to the Land Registration Act of 2012, through the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS).
This process will phase out from the Registered Land Act (RLA), the Registration of Titles Act (RTA), the Land Titles Act (LTA), and the Government Lands Act (GLA), into the new system.
Placing Nairobi as its first stop in the new policy, the Ministry of Lands is in the process of converting some 5,493 parcels in Nairobi.
All transactions or dealings relating to parcels within Nairobi shall from April 1, 2021, be carried out in the new registers.
According to the Cabinet Secretary for Lands Farida Karoney, the current title deeds will be canceled and new ones issued under the new legal regime.
The excercise will be completed by the end of 2022.
How to register for the new title deed
According to the ministry of lands, there will be no loss of ownership or registered ownership upon conversion of lands.
The ministry further directed it will prepare indices of parcels and a conversion list showing the old land reference numbers alongside the new numbers.
A land owner will be required to present an application for a new title deed to the registrar of lands using a form known as Form 97.
You will attach copies of your title deed, identification documents such as your national identity card and a KRA PIN to this form.
You will then submit your old title to the registrar for storage, upon which you will get a new title deed.
What if your title is attached to a loan?
You will apply for replacement after consultations with the bank or the third party loan facilitator.
This means that the conversion will not change the title deed’s ownership. Also, the conversion will not have an impact on your land boundaries.
“The title deed plan shall be replaced with the registry index maps which will be generated from the existing survey plans,” the Ministry said.
The maps will be unveiled to you if you make a request.
