Parliament has summoned senior officials from the Ministry of Lands and the National Land Commission (NLC) to clarify the ownership of the land where the iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) is situated.
Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, Principal Secretary Nixon Korir, and NLC Chair Gershom Otachi are scheduled to appear before the National Assembly Public Investment Committee (PIC) on Commercial and Energy next week to address the matter.
Pokot South MP David Pkosing, who chairs the committee, emphasized the urgency of resolving the land title issue concerning the convention center. “This matter is critical to our country; the accounting officer is the PS for Lands. The NLC is an interested party; please ensure they do not interfere. What we need is the title that belongs to KICC,” Pkosing stated.
PS Korir had previously appeared before the committee to respond to audit queries regarding the irregular disposal of land owned by the Kenya Pipeline Company. However, he requested additional time to provide a comprehensive explanation about the KICC land issue.
The committee had previously raised concerns about an alleged attempt by NLC officials to alienate the prime land. The Auditor General revealed that the title deed for the land is not registered under KICC, which is a state corporation under the Tourism Ministry.
The disclosure showed that NLC officials had transferred authority over the land to the Nairobi County Government, despite KICC falling under the national government.
In July 2022, a court directed the NLC to allocate the land to its rightful owners, prompting KICC to apply for ownership. Lawmakers questioned how the NLC concluded that the land was vested in the county government instead of the national government.
A letter from the Head of Public Service to the Lands Cabinet Secretary clarified that the disputed land has been gazetted as a national monument and is part of the corporation.
Additionally, in 2020, KANU filed a case with the Environment and Land Court seeking to reclaim the land. The party argued that the land had been allocated to them in May 1969 by the Commissioner of Lands.
KANU claimed that it held an indefeasible title to the land under Section 26 of the Land Registration Act, No. 3 of 2012, and contended that the government’s takeover in February 2003 was unlawful and uncompensated.
Justice Mogeni’s ruling clarified that the government repossessed the plot in 1971 and allocated funds to complete the building, which Kenya’s first president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, officially opened in September 1973. Despite KANU’s claims, the court confirmed that the government had managed and maintained the complex using public funds.
