Lands CS Alice Wahome addressing Murang'a residents during the handing over of two containers that will be used as an interim land registry for Murang'a South on October 14, 2026/ ALICE WAITHERAThe government has set aside Sh300 million to construct a new land registry in Murang’a South.
The move brings services closer to residents who have long travelled to Murang’a town to access land records and resolve ownership issues.
Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome said the funds had been allocated in the 2026-27 financial year for the facility to be built at Makenji in Gatanga constituency on land ceded by Del Monte.
Speaking during the launch of the project on Wednesday, Wahome said construction was expected to begin in November, with temporary offices already installed at the site as preparations for the permanent building continued.
“By November, work should have started. These people have suffered for a long time,” she said.
The registry is expected to serve residents of Gatanga, Kandara, Maragua and Kigumo, who currently travel to Murang’a town to conduct land searches, register documents and follow up on succession cases.
Pauline Waceke, a resident of Kandara, welcomed the project, saying it would save residents the transport costs and time spent travelling to the county headquarters.
“Previously, we had to travel to Murang’a town and spend the whole day there, incurring transport costs and even money for lunch,” she said.
Murang'a county experiences disputes over ownership and inheritance that have sometimes escalated into serious crime, including murder and sexual and gender-based violence.
Last year, an administrator announced that half of the cases reported for resolution concerned land inheritance, while 20 involved sexual and gender-based violence.
Wahome said all land registry records would be transferred from Murang’a town to the new facility, allowing residents to access services closer to their homes and businesses.
She added that two temporary container offices donated through the Food and Agriculture Organisation, with support from the European Union, would be used to operate the registry as the government prepared to construct the permanent building.
The two containers that will be used as a makeshift land registry before the government constructs a permanent building at Makenji in Murang'a/ ALICE WAITHERA“We need to connect water, electricity and other essential services before the registry begins operating from these containers,” she said.
The CS also said the government was working to resolve outstanding land issues in Kihiu Mwiri, adding that officials would organise parcels and consult residents on which sections should be handled first.
“Those parcels that are nearby should be the first to be processed as we agree with residents on which ones should be moved first,” she said.
The establishment of the registry forms part of government efforts to decentralise land administration and reduce congestion at existing offices.
Kenya has historically had 47 district land registries, alongside central registries in Nairobi and Mombasa, while additional local offices have been opened to improve access to services.
The government has also stepped up efforts to digitise land records and automate transactions through the National Land Information Management System, known as Ardhisasa.
The platform is intended to improve transparency, reduce fraud and make land transactions more efficient.
Ardhisasa is operational in Nairobi, Murang’a, Mombasa and Isiolo, according to the State Department for Lands.
The government has also introduced the National Stamp Duty Module to enable electronic assessment and payment of stamp duty, reducing reliance on manual processes.
The National Stamp Duty Module was operational in 36 land registries by the end of 2025, as the government sought to improve efficiency and accountability in land transactions countrywide.
The digitisation programme is expected to make searches, transfers and other land transactions easier to process while reducing the need for repeated visits to physical offices.
Wahome said the new Murang’a South registry would complement these reforms by bringing essential services closer to residents, particularly families dealing with succession disputes and other ownership matters.
She said the government would return to the site for the groundbreaking ceremony of the permanent building once preparations were complete.
