The National Assembly has approved Senate amendments to the Land (Amendment) Bill, which introduces the mandatory publication of Gazette notices for land registration involving public land.
In a statement published on Wednesday, August 13, the new provisions require the Registrar to issue a Gazette notice detailing the particulars of any public land registration before the process is finalized.
The Bill, sponsored by Hon. Simon King'ara, MP, was first passed by the National Assembly on March 20, 2024.
It was then referred to the Senate for consideration as it concerns counties. On April 15, 2025, the Senate passed the Bill with an amendment to Clause 3, which the National Assembly approved on May 14, 2025.
“The amendment to Clause 5 of the Bill will require that the Registrar publish a notice in the Gazette specifying the particulars of the registration in cases covered under the proposed sub-section (16),” the statement read. “This Gazette notice will be issued before the finalisation of the registration process, ensuring public access to critical information on land transactions.”
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Public land in Kenya has been subject to illegal appropriation by private entities and public officials. Media reports have documented irregular acquisition of unalienated public land.
In August 2024, the National Land Commission (NLC) announced plans to introduce a Certificate of Reservation to address public land grabbing.
Dr. Samuel Nthuni, NLC's Director of Public Administration, stated that this document would differ from existing Certificate of Title and Certificate of Lease documents. The commission noted that current title documents do not adequately protect unalienated public land.
“Under Article 62(5) of the Constitution of Kenya, public land shall vest in and be held by the National Government in trust for the people of Kenya and shall be administered on their behalf by the National Land Commission," NLC stated, noting that it has the mandate to ensure public land is administered in the public interest.
Kenya has been improving transparency in land transactions by digitizing land records.
The government launched Ardhisasa, an online land information management system, in Nairobi in April 2021. The platform allows Kenyans to access and conduct land-related services digitally.
In 2024, Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome informed Parliament that complete digitization of land records across all 47 counties would cost between Ksh35 billion and Ksh40 billion.
