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How to Conduct an Online Land Search in Kenya

 

Land Search in Kenya

Conducting a land search for a property you intend to buy is one of the most important steps in the land-buying process in Kenya. It is one of those steps you shouldn’t dare to skip anytime you want to acquire land in the country. Conducting a land search would help avoid getting conned or making a costly mistake when buying land.

Nowadays, you can quickly conduct a land search online thanks to the Kenyan government's successful digitization of many services. Recently, land searches were being conducted using the E-Citizen platform. However, the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning seems to have moved the online land search to its Ardhisasa platform. Below are the steps to conducting an online land search on the new platform.  

Step 1: Logging on to the Ardhisasa Platform

The first step is to log on to the Ardhisasa platform. If you already have an account on the platform, you simply need to hit the login button, enter your ID number or Ardhisasa ID and password and click continue.

If you don’t have an account on the platform, you need to hit the register button and enter the required information to open an account. Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning creating an account, log in to progress to the next step.

Step 2: Navigating to the Search Property Page

The next step is navigating to the Search Property page. Once on the page, type in the parcel number of the land you intend to acquire. Note you can only proceed with the search if the parcel of land has been added to the platform and the owner has registered on the Ardhisasa platform. If those two conditions are not met, that will be the end of that search attempt.

Step 3: Providing the Purpose of the Search

Under the new platform, you must provide a reason for conducting the search. Reasons may include an intention to buy or verify the land's owner.  

Step 4: Specifying the Scope of the Search

The Ardhisasa platform also requires one to indicate the extent of the search they wish to conduct. The options under this section include the following:

  1. Particulars of only the active entries in the register of the parcel
  2. Particulars of the full register, i.e., the property, proprietorship, and encumbrance sections.

Step 5: Submitting the Search Application

After specifying the scope of your search, the next step is submitting the request. The request is then sent to the owner of the land for approval. You will only receive search results if the owner approves your request.

Particulars of the Official Land Search Results

The results of a formal land search are presented in the form of a Certificate of Official Search. The certificate provides several bits of information crucial to the land acquisition process. The crucial bits of information include:

  1. The nature of the title (freehold/leasehold)
  2. The approximate area of the land
  3. The name and address of the owner
  4. Inhibitions, cautions and restrictions regarding the land
  5. Impediments of the land, such as charges and leases
  6. Pending applications
Land Search Certificate
A Certificate of Official Search

The information on the name and address of the owner will help you determine if the individual or organization purporting to sell you the land owns it.

Information on inhibitions, cautions and restrictions will help you know if there are issues that can hinder the land transfer. Details regarding any pending fees will help you negotiate with the current owner on who is to clear the same.

As you can see, conducting a land search is not a step you would want to skip when buying land in Kenya. The step is critical to eliminating fraud in land sales in the country. It will help you make an informed decision on buying a parcel of land. 

Location: Kenya

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