It is no longer a matter of presumption that things are not well with the management of land in Kenya. The latest signal came last week when the National Land Commission (NLC) stopped payments for 1,674 parcels after an audit revealed prices had been inflated.
The 2,544 acres of private land between Syokimau and Mai Mahiu had been surrendered to the State for ongoing construction of the standard gauge railway (SGR).
While it is encouraging to note that prompt action may have saved taxpayers loss of millions of shillings, it is still scandalous that such a scheme was hatched in the first place.
Sadly, that is the kind of reputation that the NLC is fast acquiring.
From mega projects like SGR and the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (Lapsset) corridor, to smaller roads and electricity transmission projects, land compensation scandals have rocked the NLC in its six years of existence.
That understanding is the reason residential houses of top NLC officials have become targets of the anti-graft agency’s infamous raids and some top officials, including the chairman have been ousted from office over corruption claims.
Lest we forget, land remains the most important factor of production that dictates the pace of economic, social, political and cultural development.
That an independent body established to manage public land on behalf of the national and county governments should be in such a mess speaks volumes of how competing interests are holding public affairs at ransom.
The NLC must put its house in order as a matter of urgency.
It cannot be seen to be perpetuating the same opacity that forced Kenyans to take away that role from the Executive. Kenyans still remember the amount of lobbying and pressure applied before the Executive could let go of the role and accept inclusion of NLC in the Constitution.
Otherwise, claims of corruption and internal divisions among commissioners have only lent credence to fears that the competing interests may have infiltrated NLC.
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