What you need to know:
- The syndicate has spread its tentacles to land offices in the region.
- Several cases have been reported of land owners being swindled out of their property.
Cartels involved in fraudulent land transactions in Busia County are continually conning unsuspecting land owners out of their property as buyers lose millions of shillings.
The syndicate has spread its tentacles to land offices in the region, with elderly members of society being targeted as they are more easily duped.
Several cases in which land owners have been swindled out of their property in transactions involving land officials, lawyers and in some instances, rogue police officers protecting culprits after large sums of cash have exchanged hands, have been reported for investigations.
The practice is fuelled by land speculators and brokers who move around town identifying idle parcels of land before they initiate the fraudulent deals.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Busia is investigating the complaints. A number of cases are before court as the affected families struggle to recover their land which has been transferred to third parties without their knowledge.
In many cases, the speculators have approached elderly land owners and duped them into signing documents after promising them that they will help them find buyers who will pay millions of shillings.
At the Lands Registry, cases of disappearance of the vital Green Card document are widespread, forcing those seeking services, including conducting searches, to part with bribes to have the documents retrieved.
The cartels are taking advantage of growing demand for land by private developers putting up residential houses, modern business premises, petrol stations and hotels at the border town.
Demand has pushed up the value of land in the region. For instance, a 50 by 100 plot is selling for a minimum of Sh1 million in Busia County as private developers splash cash to acquire properties.
Rushed transactions
But residents have complained about suspect transactions which are being rushed through by Lands officials without involving the owners of the parcels or their family members.
Affected families have petitioned DCI boss George Kinoti to send a team to investigate officials at the Busia Land Registry over suspect deals.
One victim, Mr David Dado, 84, from Busibwabo, Matayos Sub-County, has gone to court to challenge the transfer of his seven-acre parcel of land after it was sold to a developer.
Tony Dado, his son, said: “The cartels are involved in a syndicate using forged documents and without going through the Lands Board. The cartels are using shortcuts, forged signatures and are colluding with officials at the Lands office to effect the illegal land transfers without the knowledge of the owners.”
His brother, John Okuku, said: “The matter started with missing Green Cards before we were told the parcel was sold. No one in the family, not even our two mothers, consented to the deal. The person said to have been the witness is not our relative although he was close to our father and he knew of his health condition.”
The family of Mr Dado, who is ailing, is hoping the court will deliver justice in the matter and recover the land.
“We are determined to fight to the end since those involved claim they paid our father Sh5 million in cash when no other family member was around to witness the transaction,” said Tony.
Claiming ownership
Another family from Amukura in Teso South is battling to save land left behind after their father died.
Mr Juma Wasike, the last born son of the late Cornel Wasike, said his father bought a 15-acre parcel of land and obtained a title deed.
“When our father passed on, we decided to fence off the land to protect it from encroachment but, while we were working on the fence, someone showed up claiming he had bought the land. We decided to move to court and the matter is still ongoing,” he said.
Mr Wasike said the family had not, at any point, been involved in a transaction to have the land sold.
“We are still in possession of the land title and we were shocked when the other party showed up with another title claiming ownership of the land. We are hoping the courts will hear and determine the matter without delay since we would like to carry out developments on the property,” said Mr Wasike.
Busia County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri said the complaints were being investigated.
The administrator said land issues are matters of life and death and proper procedures and due process, which involve spousal consent and the transactions going through land boards, should be adhered to.
“Some basic requirements must be adhered to for any transaction to be legitimate. Anything less is null and void,” said Mr Kanyiri.
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