Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma has denied claims that there has been selling of land belonging to schools to private developers in the region.
Ranguma stated that there has not been such cases, but only witnessed encroachment.
“We have had incidences where there is encroachment, but even the partners who are building modern schools have insisted that the schools have their own title deeds,” said Ranguma.
He said that the titles of the schools are in the school’s name. The governor was speaking at his office when the Education cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and the National Lands Commission Chairman Mohammed Swazuri paid him a courtesy call.
Matiang’i had complained that many county governments’ officials were selling public land to private developers.
He gave examples of schools in urban cities such as Kisumu, Mombasa and Nairobi as the worst hit by the vice.
The National Lands Commission (NLC) plans to give all public schools title deeds to keep off private developers who would want to take over public land belonging to schools.
“We are targeting to issue at least 10, 000 title deeds to schools by August this year,” said Swazuri.
He stated that the county and national government will work together to ensure that they coordinate the whole process for children’s facilities to be safe.