Land grabbing is a serious issue that affects the environment, economy, social welfare and human rights. In Kenya, its literally like a disease. A bad disease. When your land is grabbed, you might not get it back, because most of the time its the big boys in the Society who participate in this forbidden practice. If you get it back, good for you, but the whole legal process will leave you drained and sometimes broke.
Better being safe than sorry, so here are some tips we believe will protect your land from the bad guys:
1. FENCE YOUR SHAMBA – Might be expensive but trust me it’s cheaper than litigation. Having a boundary indicates restrictions to entry. Therefore, intruders won’t be able to take control or build their boundary on your property and claim ownership.
2. MAKE A SIGN – A boundary is good for creating a division and separating your land from other properties. However, it still doesn’t show your ownership of the property. Yes, even if you have updated land documents, occupancy of the owner is the best prevention of land grabbing. Not only it will warn others, but the sign will work as your mark on the land.
3. BUILD A SMALL HOUSE – Or a big one. It doesn’t have to be expensive as long as it is liveable. Now you can rent it out to or have a security guard placed to watch over the property. Doing so, you will have an even stronger hold on the asset. The security guards or the tenants may work as your agents and represent you in your absence.
4. CONNECT UTILITIES – Since such utilities are provided by government-owned organizations against a legitimate holding number, the billing documents will validate your ownership. As they represent the government in the documents, it is hard to argue the validity of these billing documents. Moreover, without authentic records, no one can apply for a connection request. Hence, only the original owner can enjoy the benefit. This barrier is quite effective at preventing illegal land grabbing from your property.
5. PUT A CAUTION ON YOUR LAND – Cautions prevent any dealings in land. When a Caution is registered on your shamba, no one can sell, lease, charge it without your consent.
6. SEEK LEGAL ACTION – Sometimes the above steps might not work. As I mentioned above, most of the time it’s the big boys in the society who are involved in land grabbing. Thats where we come in, we have a team of qualified Property Lawyers who will help you in such matters. Our portfolio and track record speaks for itself. Contact us at 0707-07-77-77 or info@maina-partners.com for any inquiries or to book an appointment.
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