Under the Kenyan Constitution, everyone has a right to own land in Kenya either by purchase or inheritance. However, in this case, we will focus more on the Kenyans who are planning to own land via purchase.
Not once or twice cases of people buying air in the name of land have surfaced in the limelight. In most scenarios, you’ll notice that the buyer never followed a legal way of purchasing the land.
To ensure that you are making the right purchase and avoid getting scammed, there is a set of procedures you must follow. Following the right process to acquire land is mainly to ensure that you do not fall into the wrong hands of scammers.
Here are some of the most important steps that would guide you while purchasing land in Kenya.
Legal Process for Purchasing Land in Kenya
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE LAND
First, you need to identify the land you want to buy in comparison to your interests in terms of purpose, location, and size.
STEP 2: SEARCH AT THE LAND REGISTRY
It’s important to conduct a search to a relevant lands registry to certify the owner of the land and size of the land and if exist any encumbrances. A prospective buyer purchasing the land should ensure to acquire a copy of the land title deed from the seller together with the seller’s KRA PIN copy and identification card copy.
Proceed to the land registry where the land is located and request an application form which you will be required to fill in the copies of the title deed, Identification card, and KRA PIN. The search results process will only take 2 hours after the filling, it will cost 500 Ksh.
STEP 3: CONFIRM ANY UNPAID LAND RATES
It really helps to confirm whether or not there are no unpaid land rates attached to the land before purchasing. The process can only be done by conducting a search at the county office where the land is located. If any unpaid land rates are discussed with the seller who is to clear the debt, since no land can be transferred without clearing the unpaid land rates.
STEP 4: OBTAIN THE LAND MAP
