Malindi, Kenya – July 17, 2025 – Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome officially opened the new Malindi Land Registry Office, a key facility expected to bring land services closer to residents of Malindi and Magarini sub-counties.
The CS used the occasion to highlight a pressing concern: over 33,000 title deeds remain unclaimed in Kilifi County, despite the documents being processed and ready for collection. Unclaimed titles in the county is not an emerging issue. Similar concerns have been expressed over the years, begging the questions: what ails the county.
“Land is safer in your hands than it is in the office,” said CS Wahome, urging landowners to urgently collect their title deeds.
Uncollected title deeds has been a persistent issue in Kilifi county through the years. Other counties like Homabay, Chuka and Machakos grapple with similar issues.
Meanwhile, in the newly opened Malindi Lands Office, over 7,000 titles are ready for pickup, including:
- Weru Group Ranch – 5,881 title deeds
- Mwele Simakeni – 1,363 title deeds
- Msabaha – 486 title deeds
The CS emphasized that land ownership is not just a legal formality but a critical tool for economic empowerment and security. She warned of intensified crackdowns on land cartels and reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to transparency in land transactions.
Clarification on registered and titled land in Kilifi County
CS Wahome also shed light on the current adjudication landscape in Kilifi County. Land adjudication is the legal process of determining, mapping, and recording land ownership—especially in areas that were previously unregistered. It’s common in rural Kenya, where many parcels have been passed down informally over generations.
In layman’s terms: Until this process is complete, ownership is not legally recognized, and the land cannot be sold or transferred with full security. Once the adjudication process is completed, land that had no paperwork before can be registered and titled officially. CS Wahome clarified that:
As of July 2025, in Kilifi (which houses Malindi), there are:
- 40 Registered Adjudication Sections
- 178,041 Registered Parcels
- 6 Ongoing Adjudication Sections, including:
- Kibokoni Settlement Scheme
- Chakama Phase 3
- Adu Kamale Pumwani Phase 3
- Adu Chamali and
- Wakala.
The CS urged communities in these areas to cooperate with land officials and complete the necessary processes to unlock issuance of title deeds.
“Finalizing adjudication allows citizens to enter the formal land economy and unlock value from their land,” she said.
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Ardhisasa Set to Launch in Mombasa: Data Review Underway
In a related development, the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning is preparing for the rollout of Ardhisasa in Mombasa County, joining Nairobi and Murang’a in offering full digital land services.
As of June, 2025, Preparations include a rigorous review of public land data, with stakeholder engagement forums already underway.
According to Principal Secretary Generali Nixon Korir, the stakeholder engagement workshops aim to:
- Validate public land records
- Engage local and national institutions including the National Land Commission, Kenya Ports Authority, and County Government
- Prepare professional bodies (Law Society, Bankers, Surveyors) for smooth use of the Ardhisasa platform
The Mombasa stakeholder workshop, marks a major step toward full digitization of land records in the coastal region.
“Accurate data is critical to securing land rights and avoiding future disputes,” PS Korir noted.
Similar forums are planned for Isiolo County, which will join the platform soon. Ardhisasa was first launched in Nairobi in April 2021 and offers end-to-end online land transactions, significantly reducing paperwork, corruption, and processing delays. The platform was rolled out in Murang’a, in 2024.
