NLC nominee to secure public schools title deeds if approved

Susan Oyatsi takes oath ahead of her vetting by the National Assembly Lands Committee as the vice chairperson of the National Land Commission (NLC), Monday, March 9 /HANDOUT

President William Ruto’s nominee to the National Land Commission, Susan Oyatsi, has pledged to ensure all public schools in Kenya obtain land ownership documents to protect them from encroachment and land grabbing if approved.

FCPA Susan Oyatsi appeared before the National Assembly Lands Committee for vetting as the vice chairperson of the National Land Commission (NLC) on Monday, March 9.

Until her nomination, Oyatsi was an adviser to the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.

Speaking on Wednesday during a virtual meeting convened by Koskei, Oyatsi said many public schools remain vulnerable to land grabbing cartels because they lack proper land ownership documents.

The virtual meeting was attended by over 80,000 members of boards of management, principals, deputy principals and heads of finance, accounts and procurement from secondary schools across the country.

The meeting, first of it's kind, was held in collaboration with the State Department for Basic Education and the Teachers Service Commission to address policy and governance issues in the education sector.

Discussions focused on strengthening governance in schools, improving financial stewardship, enforcing procurement compliance and enhancing institutional management.

Oyatsi said securing title deeds for schools would be among her top priorities if Parliament approves her nomination.

“I want to ensure all public schools in Kenya have land documents so that they are not grabbed. If there will be any grabbing, I will also come up with a programme, Mpige Nduru, to the National Land Commission,” she said.

She urged school administrators to speak out whenever school land is threatened.

“I will be asking you chief principals, senior principals and principals, ‘Wapi Nduru?’ If your school land was grabbed, why didn’t you raise the alarm?” she posed.

Oyatsi said she plans to work closely with school administrators and education officials to establish a reporting and response mechanism to safeguard school property and assets such as vehicles.

“I hope if Parliament approves my nomination, teachers and the Head of Public Service, I will copy your style of management so that I will have a forum of all the head teachers, because they are accounting officers of schools, to run with the Shule Yetu programme.”

She added that through the proposed Shule Yetu programme, the commission would partner with school leadership to ensure all concerns raised by the Auditor General on land ownership by public schools are addressed.

Her remarks come in the wake of a recent report by Auditor General Nancy Gathungu that highlighted weaknesses in the management of school assets.

The report flagged several irregularities, including failure by many schools to maintain up-to-date fixed asset registers and lack of ownership documents for key assets such as land and motor vehicles.

The gaps, the report warned, expose public institutions to potential loss of property and disputes over ownership.

Oyatsi said addressing the documentation gap would not only safeguard school land but also improve accountability in the management of public assets within the education sector.

She emphasised that school administrators have a critical role to play in protecting public property by promptly reporting threats to the relevant authorities.

“If we work together with teachers, principals and boards of management, we can ensure that every public school land in Kenya is protected,” she said.