Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome before the Senate on August 5, 2026. [PBU]
The government has intensified efforts to protect public schools from land grabbing by accelerating the issuance of title deeds and undertaking fresh surveys to secure learning institutions on legally documented land.
Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome told the Senate that the Ministry is taking concrete administrative and legal measures to safeguard school property, citing the ongoing process to secure land occupied by Martin Luther Primary School in Nairobi as part of a broader effort to protect public institutions.
Appearing before the Senate to respond to questions from Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Marsabit Senator Mohamed Chute and Nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana, Wahome addressed concerns over ownership of school land, historical land transactions and delays in processing title deeds.
The issue of school land ownership has remained a major concern in Kenya, with hundreds of public schools operating without title deeds, leaving them vulnerable to encroachment, illegal allocation and prolonged ownership disputes.
Education stakeholders have repeatedly warned that the lack of ownership documents exposes schools to land grabbers, disrupting learning and threatening public investments.
Responding to concerns surrounding Martin Luther Primary School in Makadara Constituency, Wahome said records indicate that the land on which the school sits has historically been public land.
She told senators that Land Reference No. 209/4401, measuring about 104.5 acres, was registered in the name of the former City Council of Nairobi on March 23, 1956, on a 99-year lease beginning November 1, 1953.