Land central to economies

Land is central to Africa’s economy. Good land management is therefore a prerequisite to unlocking its full potential. In this regard, technology has become a helpful tool. No wonder, the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, underscores the importance of computerized land information management systems to African Union member states. Manual systems, the guidelines observe, are inaccessible and expensive to the user public, and therefore need to be redesigned and technologically upgraded.

Continental frameworks

Specific principles on the development of modern systems by African countries are to be found in the text Land Management Information Systems in the Knowledge Economy. This contains discussion and guiding principles on the establishment of land information management systems. This text, and the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, both published by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, are helpful high level frameworks to Nations developing land policies and land information management systems.

Kenya recently launched “ardhisasa”, an online National Land Information Management System. By so doing, Kenya has joined the league of the few African Countries that have embraced computerized management of land records, which include, but are not limited to, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana. The launch marks a high noon for the Kenya government, which, working through the line Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, and the National Land Commission, can begin to benefit from its investment after many previous unsuccessful attempts. The system is GIS-based, making it possible to display different layers of land information separately or in combination. For instance, the system makes it possible to distinguish between public and private land, which helps to arrest land grabs. The system will be developed incrementally, with the first phase covering Nairobi City County. The rest of the country will be uploaded gradually.

Use of geo-referenced

As a surveyor, I am happy that Kenya’s system is informed by geo-referenced survey data. This makes it possible to use position values, often known as coordinates, to know the accurate location and shape of a land parcel. Through ardhisasa, attribute data, such as ownership details, and cadastral maps data for Nairobi City County, have been uploaded. Users can therefore access information on parcel ownership and the corresponding cadastral maps. This ties up with the continental principle which provides that information about land must be geo-referenced to make descriptions of parcels unambiguous.

By creating this digital system, Kenya is well positioned to share land information widely. This is consistent with the continental principle which observes that the value of land information can be increased by making it widely accessible. Land owners, real estate agents, land professionals, property developers, bankers, architects and engineers responsible for housing and road construction, should be able to easily access land information through ardhisasa. To optimize on the value, the Ministry will need to ensure that protocols allow these diverse user groups to easily access the system. Universities and other institutions of higher learning should also be provided with access too.

Need for culture change

Another continental principle provides that land information management systems encourage and require changes in institutional cultures. On this, our Lands Ministry, and most users, are pretty challenged. Over the years, professionals in the Ministry, and those in the private sector, have embraced analogue data and manual methods. This cultivated a culture of walking over to government offices for physical interactions with officers to obtain services and information. Often, providing a service or data would be treated as a favour, to be appreciated through some informal monetary reward. This culture, and those closely related, was unfortunate and will need to change. The Ministry and the Land Commission would do well to organize sensitization forums targeted at their internal officers, and also the external state and non-state users, to disabuse all of the old culture, and buy them into new attitudes and methods consistent with digital technology.

Public sensitisation

Prior to the launch, the Ministry undertook an aggressive sensitization campaign through print, broadcast, and social media. Focused stakeholder forums, both in-person and virtual, were also done. This helped. But as encouraged in the continental principles, creating such public awareness counts a great deal. It enhances transparency and openness in the use of such systems. The public sensitization drive should therefore be sustained and deepened, to reach many more people. They will for instance need to know that system launched can only respond to enquiries for Nairobi City for now. But with time, this will be rolled over countrywide. Users need to know how to register, whether and how much they will pay. Public sensitization must now target specific user concerns.

Other gains are that the security of land records will be enhanced, double allocation will be eliminated and rent seeking will be greatly reduced.

Dated: 25^th April, 2021