Kenya: Committee Queries Delayed Rollout of Land Record Digitisation

What the report says

Kenya’s Public Accounts Committee has raised concerns over the slow rollout of land records digitisation, saying the delay is affecting service delivery and increasing exposure to fraud in the land sector. The issue came up in Nairobi during the committee’s review of audit reports covering the financial years ended 30 June 2024 and 30 June 2025 for the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning.

Principal Secretary Nixon Korir and other State Department officials appeared before the committee to answer audit questions. The Auditor-General’s report flagged problems with implementing the National Land Management Information System, known as Ardhi Sasa. It said only the Nairobi and Murang’a registries had been fully digitised and moved onto the system out of 83 land registries nationwide, although Korir told lawmakers the rollout had also reached Mombasa Island and Isiolo.

The committee, chaired by Tindi Mwale, is using the audit process to assess how well the department is managing a major digital reform intended to modernise land administration. The slow pace matters because land registry digitisation is meant to improve access, reduce inefficiency and lower the risk of corruption or document manipulation. More broadly, the case reflects the challenges Kenya has faced in extending e-government systems beyond a small number of pilot or early-adopter offices.