There are large tracts of land lying idle in the country, thousands of properties remain unclaimed with a great probability that the buyer died without disclosing ownership of such properties to their family members or never indicated a next of kin, or if they did, they failed to provide contact information.
Majority of Kenyans do not treat the next of kin slot seriously when signing property documents, signing employment contracts, Chama/group forms, opening bank accounts and mobile money accounts.
A next of kin is a person’s closest living relative, a spouse or a person who can be contacted in case of an emergency. Their details include official names, ID number, postal address, phone number and their relationship to you. Below are the advantages of having next of kin in any agreement you make;
Protects your hard earned investments in your absence.
In February 2018, the state announced plans to nationalize thousands of acres of land in the Coastal in which landlords have failed to identify themselves and prove ownership before the National Land Commission. This land could have been owned by individuals who may have never indicated their contact details, physical address or that of their next of kin. In case you own a property secretly and no one knows, the land could in future be nationalized because your family members may never know you owned a piece of property somewhere.
The next of kin has much power in case something happens to you.
Your next of kin has the capacity to make decision for you in case of sickness or death. Your investment could come in handy when you need to settle a hospital bill or pay for your child’s school fees, unfortunately no one can decide to sell a property they are not aware you owned even when you are critically ill to communicate about your wealth.
Helps in determining inheritance rights if a person dies without a will and has no spouse or children.In case a property owner passes on without a will their next of kin takes over the property without much struggle and it greatly helps in reducing court cases related to distribution of wealth among family members in case the owner dies.
Leads to full utilization of land as a resource.
When your next of kin is aware of a land you own they may decide to invest in agriculture or construction without worry. However, in case they are not aware of such land it is left bare for many years neither benefiting the owner or their close relatives.
Choosing a next of kin.
The choice of a next of kin is solely dependent on the property owner and a lawyer comes in handy in advising on the legal procedure.
Disclosure of the next of kin details
It is the responsibility of a property owner to inform their next of kin because neither a lawyer nor a property seller can disclose it to protect your interest.
Reuben Kimani, CEO, Username Investment Ltd. articulates on the importance of having next of kin details in land transfer documents and the established real estate company treats such details with utmost confidentiality to protect the interest of investors. “As a professional company, we cannot compel our customers to disclose their assets but it’s important for them to share this information with those they trust to safeguard their property in their absence.