Sample Of Genuine Title Deed In Kenya
Sample Of Genuine Title Deed In Kenya
A genuine title deed in Kenya is a legal document that provides evidence of a person’s right to land or a section of a property built on a specific piece of land. It is issued by the Ministry of Lands and proves ownership of land, defining the legal rights to it.
To obtain a genuine title deed in Kenya, you must ensure that the source is the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development.
The Ministry of Land holds data on all title deeds in Kenya, and a genuine title deed should have a record of how it has been transferred from one person to another over the years. Registrars sign and seal genuine title deeds to confirm their authenticity.
Therefore, to verify the authenticity of a title deed, it is essential to do a title deed search at the Land’s Registry, either manually or electronically.
Here is some general information about what a title deed in Kenya typically contains:
- The name of the land registrar’s office that issued the title deed
- A title deed number for reference
- The name of the owner(s) of the land
- The location and size/boundaries of the land plot
- A description of any encumbrances, rights of way, or other conditions on the land
- The date the title deed was issued and registered
- An official stamp and signature from the land registrar
The title deed serves as legal proof of land ownership in Kenya. It contains a formal description of the property and can be used as evidence of ownership in legal transactions involving the land.
The format and details included can vary slightly depending on the specific land registrar’s office. But a genuine Kenyan title deed will generally include the types of information mentioned above.
To verify the authenticity of a title deed, you must conduct a search at the Ministry of Lands offices. This process involves taking a copy of the title deed with your ID and PIN to the Registrar of Lands where you fill in a search application form and request for an official search, then pay the required fee.
The search results should contain the official seal of the Registrar of Lands. The name you get from the search results should match with that of the person selling you the land.
In recent years, the Kenyan government has automated the title deed or land search process online to weed out unscrupulous individuals who were taking advantage of land buyers.
A title deed or land search online on Ecitizen will result in a computer-generated certificate called a Certificate of Official Search that will show, among other things, who has owned that property over successive years, the full name of the current owner, the approximate acreage of the land, and whether the land has legal issues.
However, it’s important to note that fraud cases involving title deeds are not uncommon in Kenya. In some cases, landowners unknowingly sign documents that transfer their legitimate title deeds to scammers.
The Kenyan law protects citizens from title deed fraud by allowing a title deed acquired fraudulently to be revoked upon proof by the victim.
In conclusion, to ensure you have a genuine title deed in Kenya, it’s crucial to conduct a thorough title deed search at the Land’s Registry or online via the Ecitizen platform, and to involve a lawyer in all applications for land title deeds and transfer of ownership