Corrupt lands officers put on notice

October 20, 2014 

By Eliud Mwangi Nakuru
Corrupt land officials in Nakuru have been put on notice to style up or risk losing their job.  In his address during Madaraka day celebrations at Afraha stadium today, Nakuru County commissioner mohammed birik said that corrupt practices by ministry of land officers was to blame for the un ending land problems in the county.
Birik said that it is surprising to learn that one can obtain different details for one parcel of land within a month upon conducting search at Ardhi House, Nakuru.
While reiterating that corruption in the ministry he said will not be entertained, Birik said that there was need for the national land commission and the ethics and anti corruption commission to step in and ensure sanity is restored at Ardhi House, Nakuru.

He noted that most of the land squabbles being reported in Nakuru could be avoided if the government cracks the whip on errant land officials.
While touching on land ownership controversy in Mau Narok of Nakuru county, Birik said the land tussles including the issue surrounding management of over 4000 acre-Muthera farm would not be allowed to frustrate the co-existence that has been witnessed among residents of the cosmopolitan Nakuru county.
He said Mau Narok plays a big role in matters of food security in the county, where close to 100 trucks leave for neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania ferrying food to the markets during harvesting season.
He also directed administrators from across the country following rising number of spots used to sell liquor especially within the town and trading centres. He said despite Nakuru county boasting as among the counties that have not witnessed liquor consumers dying, there is a need to revisit vetting of liquor selling businesses to avoid infiltration of illicit brew sellers who are in for money-making at the expense of precious lives of Kenyans.
On security matters, birik pointed out that the county has made tremendous progress and at the same time refuted results of a recent research that indicated bondeni estate in nakuru as the most insecure in the country. As the chairman of the county security and intelligence committee, birik said that the findings are untrue, baseless and without merit.
He said that despite facing many challenges in terms of housing, the estate is among the most secure in the county.    Nakuru governor kinuthia mbugua who also attended the occasion failed to read his speech owing to time constraint.