Ministry of Lands defends PS Korir in Kibiko land dispute

The Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning is pushing back against what it terms unfounded allegations directed at Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir and senior officers over a long-running land dispute in Kibiko, Kajiado County.

The Ministry maintains that all actions taken have strictly adhered to legal procedures and court directives.

In a statement, the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning denied claims that the ministry, through PS Korir, is supporting a group to acquire a disputed parcel of land in Ngong, Kajiado County.

The Ministry described reports linking its officers to the irregular registration of a title for 2,682 acres (1,085.5 ha) as inaccurate.

The disputed land lies in Kibiko, near the Kibiko and Kikuyu forests, at the border of Kiambu and Kajiado counties.

On Friday, a group staged a protest outside Ardhi House, accusing the ministry of recognising one faction despite a court order.

Through the statement, the ministry said it has acted within the law and advised those aggrieved to seek redress through the courts that have been handling the matter since 2014.

“Our attention has been drawn to unfounded allegations against the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Lands and Physical Planning and other officers in relation to the land in Kibiko, which has been the subject of a dispute for more than a decade,” the statement read.

“Any aggrieved party has a right to seek redress from the courts. Attempts to link the ministry’s leadership and officers to wrongdoing should be treated with caution,” the ministry added.

According to Ardhi House, the dispute dates back to 2014.

Records at the Central Registry show the land was granted as a 99-year lease starting December 1, 1999.

The ministry said the Chief Land Registrar later issued a provisional certificate of title and ordered the surrender of the original title within 72 hours.

Subsequently, new trustees of the community trust were registered.

In August 2025, two applications were filed seeking registration of a Court of Appeal order in Civil Application No. E486 of 2025.

However, the Chief Land Registrar informed the parties that the orders could not be registered because the title had already been closed on conversion and subdivision.

“As illustrated by the facts, all actions taken by authorised officers of the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning have been lawful. The Ministry of Lands has followed court directives and acted with due process,” the statement said.

The ministry added that it had engaged the leadership of Kajiado County in an effort to mediate, but the parties involved opted to pursue the matter in court.