NCPB targets land lease to boost revenue

The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) is seeking additional income from leasing out its idle land across the country.

The income will boost funds to buy cereals, amid a mounting debt from the government

NCPB told the Business Daily said that the leases will be between one and five years, depending on the lessee’s request.

The board in a notice published yesterday said it is looking to lease out the parcels of land at the Coast region (Hola and Kwale), Upper Eastern (Marsabit, Embu, Ishiara, Nanyuki/Doldol and Wajir), Lower Eastern and Nairobi (Kithimani, Makueni, Tala, Kajiado, Emali and Machakos), Western (Bungoma, Migori, Kehancha and Kadongo) and Salawa in the South Rift.

NCPB services marketing officer Ruth Kirima said that the leases will range from parcels measuring 800 square feet within depots, up to 42 acres on larger idle land.

“The cost will depend on the location and the type of business the lessee is doing,” she said.

The agency added that it is also banking on leasing out the land as a deterrent to land grabbing.

This comes at a time when government agencies are tapping into rental income and land leases as traditional sources of revenues decline.

Last year, state-owned Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK) Post Master General Dan Kagwe told the Business Daily that the corporation’s rental income had grown by more than 70 per cent in the last four years, becoming an increasingly important revenue stream.

Last September, Agriculture CS Peter Munya said the government plans to lease idle public land to youth for agriculture in a bid to create jobs and improve the country’s food security.

“We have been working on a leasing model for idle government land to be utilised for food production,” Mr Munya said.

Official data shows that 10 per cent of Kenya’s land is owned by the government in protected areas, rivers as well as institutions. Others are trust land (70 percent) and freehold land (20 percent).