Land commission warns occupiers of public school land as recovery drive opens
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The National Land Commission says public schools in prime urban areas have lost land to irregular acquisition and encroachment, and has launched a reporting channel for school heads as it pursues recovery.
The National Land Commission has warned individuals occupying public school land illegally that they risk losing the properties, as the government moves to reclaim land set aside for learning institutions.
The commission says several schools, particularly those in prime urban areas, have lost portions of their land through irregular acquisition and encroachment, leaving them with reduced space for classrooms, playing fields and future expansion.
Vice-chairperson Julie Ouma and commissioner Susan Khakasa Oyatsi said the commission was stepping up efforts to identify affected institutions, establish ownership and pursue recovery. Speaking during the Kenya Comprehensive School Heads Association conference, they said the exercise would involve working with school heads to identify land grabbing cases and disputes.
The commission has introduced an initiative dubbed Piga Nduru through which school heads will report suspected illegal acquisition, encroachment and disputes involving their institutions. The initiative will also help schools without proper ownership documents to pursue title deeds and establish land-use plans to safeguard their properties.
Ouma and Oyatsi said the commission is working with the Ministry of Education, the Office of the Attorney General, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Teachers Service Commission on the cases. They acknowledged that some occupants could resist the process through court action, potentially delaying recovery, and cited Homa Bay County where several schools obtained title deeds after sensitisation efforts.