Conducting a land search before committing your money to a land deal is a crucial steps. Many people have lost their money to con schemes because they ignored this step and in the process, lost their hard-earned money.
It is part of the due-diligence process that should be done by you, the buyer of the land before you make any payments.
All land in Kenya is registered at the Ministry of Lands and you can conduct a search independently or through an advocate who is well versed in matters related to land.
There are two ways to conduct a land search in Kenya;
Online via the e-Citizen portal
Manually at the local Ministry of lands offices at the county level.
We shall discuss how to go about both ways.
Online Land Search process
The online land search process was part of the government’s initiative of digitizing all matters dealing with land.
This was meant to eliminate middlemen who would often con unsuspecting Kenyans and who worked in collaboration with corrupt officials at the Ministry of Lands offices.
Here is how you can carry out a land search anytime and from anywhere before you invest your money in that deal that sounds too sweet to be true.
Sign up for an e-Citizen account for free. If you already have an account, log into your account
Select ‘Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning’
Select ‘Land Search’
Enter the title deed’s number
Fill in the form that pops up and submit it once done
Confirm the details you have entered and then proceed to make a payment through the the available payment methods e.g credit card, debit card, M-Pesa, or through a bank transfer
Once the payment has been completed you will be able to view the results of your search through the online portal
You may choose to print the results
Manual Land Search Process
While there have been efforts to digitize the land search process, you can still conduct a manual land search at the county level.
To do this, you will need to visit the local office with the following documents;
A copy of your ID
A copy of your KRA Pin certificate
A copy of the title deed
A filled search request form
Alway ensure you conduct a land search before you commit any money to buying a piece of land to avoid being conned.
The government has made the process easy through the e-Citizen portal which is available at your convenience.
