Deputy President William Ruto has spoken against the high cost of land in Nairobi.
He addresses the issue during the launch of the National Land Use Policy at the KICC on Tuesday where he termed the cost of land in the city as ‘abnormal’ and the country needs a clear guideline to deal with the challenge.
“In some parts of Nairobi where land costs Sh500 to Sh600 million per acre, it is as a result of poor planning and lack of a clear roadmap on how land can be put to good use,” he said.
The DP added that other challenges arising from poor land management are abuse and degradation of riparian land and water towers and the emergence of informal settlements.
“The lack of a vision, mediocre planning and incompetence are a threat to our development and progress the same way theft and corruption are a threat. Therefore these are things we must tackle so that we can put our development and progress on a solid foundation for us to move the country forward,” he said.
The key guidelines in the policy that are on the issuance of land titles on the basis of approved physical development plans are the provision of legal security of tenure in informal settlements, setting up an inventory of all land uses in the country and establishing effective physical planning structures at the county level.
Speaking at the launch, Lands CS Farida Karoney said the land use policy is crucial as it aligns the existing land laws and regulations to offer a clearer guideline on proper utilization and productivity of land both at the national and county government levels.