Land Scam Schemes: Kenyan Fraudsters’ Devious Tactics
A new survey reveals that double allocation of land by the Ministry of Lands is the most common way in which Kenyans lose their land.
In its Baseline Study on Land-Related Crimes and Offences in Kenya report, released on Wednesday, the National Crime Research Centre (NCRC) found that over 36.5% of cases reported over the past year were due to multiple allocations of land, which led to confusion over the validity of title deeds.
According to the survey, 484 instances of double allocation were reported in the previous year, followed by the elimination of land beacons (418 cases), trespassing on private land (411 cases), and the falsification of land documents (307 cases).
Altering land maps (292 cases), conspiracy to defraud (278 cases), issuance of phony titles (229 cases), and illegally occupying and selling land (228 cases) are additional methods used by fraudsters.
In addition, the report attributes the increase in land-related cases to absent proprietors.
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“From the finding of this study, it is highly likely that the issue of absentee landlords could be in part, the opportunity to the would-be criminals of land-related crimes and offences. Land owners must be sensitized on routine inspections of their parcel of land for purposes of ascertaining the condition of ownership and also the boundaries beacons,” read part of the report.
A source from the National Government Administration in Kisii County was cited in the report as stating that landowners who travel abroad are frequently the targets of land-related offenses.
“In this county, there have been cases where land owners went abroad and the care taker posed as the land owner thus overseeing the fraudulent sale of the land. Influential people collude with brokers and land officials to transfer land illegally,” he said.
From the results of the survey, it was also determined that corrupt government officials (NGAOs, land officials, the judiciary, and the ministry of land), land merchants, family members, private surveyors, corrupt attorneys, and a few politicians were frequently involved in the crimes.
The majority of cases (41.4%) involved land brokers, followed by family members (39.7%), neighbors (35.1%), and corrupt land-purchasing company officials (21.9%).
Others included real estate developers (12,9%), political leaders (10,2%), and corrupt advocates (10,1%).
Land Scam Schemes: Kenyan Fraudsters’ Devious Tactics
