Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma has warned churches against building on public lands.
Speaking in Seme sub-county on Saturday, the governor said the act is a criminal offence.
He said the county government was setting up a taskforce team to ascertain the legality of the lands where newly established churches were built on.
Ranguma said that public lands in the county were for development and expansion purposes.
“We have noted that many churches coming up today are being built on public lands, most of which used to be playing fields and crusade joints.
"As a government, we are not going to take this matter lightly and that is why a taskforce team is going to be set up to ensure that public land which can otherwise be used for development purposes or in creation of economic expansion, is not grabbed.”
He, however, said that neither the county government nor himself was opposed to the building of new churches in the lakeside county but asked that all churches obtain a title deed for the land on which they are built on.