Surveyors Demand Public Land Adjudication Fast Tracked in Kenya
Institute of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK)president Eric Nyadimo (Centre) alongside other dignitaries. (Photo By Mwakwaya Raymond)
By Raymond Mwakwaya & Harrison Kivisu
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK) has called for fast tracking the adjudication of remaining public lands as well as embracing digital technology in the process so as to end squatter problem in the country.
Speaking in Mombasa, ISK president Eric Nyadimo said the adjudication program being undertaken by the ministry of lands in collaboration with National Land Commission (NLC) should have timelines to avoid prolonged process and corruption.
The institution has also cautioned its members to prioritize their safety and seek security assistance from local administration when operating in hostile environments.
Nyadimo condemned recent attacks on its members saying the government should provide security during any land adjudication exercise in the country.
“Land being an emotive issue attracts a lot of interest, some of them being positive or negative where land surveyors and valuers sometimes get attacked in line of their duty as we have seen in the recent past,” he said.
Nyadimo, responding to the recent violent attack on land surveyors in Angata Barrikoi in Transmara South, Narok County, on 28th April 2025 in the course of executing their professional duties, asked for the provision of security on hostile grounds.
According to him surveyors, like other professionals, serve the public in accordance with the law and under mandates from relevant authorities.
Surveyors are not party to land disputes, but play an essential role in documenting, demarcating, and mapping land for proper planning, ownership, and development.
The ISK president said attacking professionals while in the line of duty was unacceptable, unlawful, and must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.
Therefore, he urged law enforcers to deal with all those who attacked the professionals and anyone who took law in their own hands and visited violence on law-abiding professionals.
“As an institution, we educate our members that before they go out they should investigate whether the land they are going to measure has conflict related so that they can be able to ensure that they have proper security when they go there. Many a times they get attacked when collecting data which is bad.”
He asked the courts to help with arbitrating court decisions on land matters to ensure justice and resolutions were reached at good time.
“The prosecution of court cases are done by the courts, and based on how courts undertake their processes, sometimes they take long. What we ask of the courts is to ensure disputes are resolved quickly so that aggravated parties can get justice in good time.”
At the same time, the official says the process of land adjudication programs should be expedited in Kenya to ensure that no disputes on land matters in the future.
