Manage transition in Lands ministry carefully after polls

In August, we shall vote in new leaders into most of the political offices. Many people are therefore anxious, wondering how the general elections will go, and what the looming transition portends.

But we have power in our hands and heads. Kenya and its citizens have weathered many tough seasons since Independence. I predict that this year will be a lot easier to navigate than many imagine.

With the lessons learnt and the many red flags raised hitherto, we should be best prepared for any eventualities.

Let heads of families and groups provide level-headed leadership and advocate self-restraint and hope to those they lead. Let everyone focus and deliver on their tasks.

Our intelligence and security organs should maintain vigilance and expeditiously deal with any breaches. With such accountability, the elections will come and go, and Kenya will move on.

Let me now briefly mention two issues that will define the Lands ministry this year. One of the key offices in the Ministry is that of the Director of Surveys.

This is the highest technical office in Surveying and Mapping in Kenya. But the office has had no substantive occupant for over three years.

It has had an occupant serving in an acting capacity for a period of about one year each since 2019. Two have come and gone. The current one is the third. It’s a recipe for institutional instability and lost memory.

It was, therefore, a big relief to see the Public Service Commission invite applications to the office in December last year. They closed earlier this week. But the invite did not oblige the applicants to possess a licence.

The Director chairs the Land Surveyors Board, which is charged with regulating the surveying profession, licensing and regulating the conduct of licensed surveyors.

Among other things, the Director’s office approves all surveys undertaken by licensed surveyors for processing of title deeds.

Therefore, an unlicensed Director would be akin to a non-commissioned officer trying to instruct commissioned ones. He would get overwhelmed.

The PSC may, therefore, need to work closely with Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney to navigate around the omission. And good luck to whoever takes up the office. Their workload is well cut out.

At the higher level, Cabinet Secretary Farida has been a good champion for reforms, and particularly the new online system, ardhisasa.

This online system is still nascent and fragile. It calls for focused and passionate champions without whom its continued rollout can hit headwinds.

Tough docket

The government should, therefore, put in place a reliable mitigation mechanism, else our heavy investments in this system could stand overexposed should Farida exit in August. We have a precedent.

The late minister John Michuki tamed our public transport sub-sector only for it to regress on his exit. Lands is tough.

Attitudes towards ardhisasa are not necessarily positive and, in the absence of a firm champion, it can be undermined.