Govt Warns Kenyans After 367 Title Deed Papers Go Missing

The government has announced that 367 security papers used to print title deeds were stolen from the Government Printer on Friday, September 26. 
In a gazette notice dated Saturday, September 27, the government printer announced the loss of the security papers used to print titled deeds bearing serial numbers from 5253001 to 5253367.

The government further urged Kenyans to be wary of buying land which bears the red-flagged serial numbers - noting that the title deeds stood canceled, null, and void.
"It is notified for the general information of the public that Title Deeds bearing serial numbers listed herein are reported lost (5253001—5253367)," read part of the gazette notice.
Read Also: All the Taxes and Fees You Pay When Buying or Selling Land in Kenya
The Ministry of Lands in a statement on Sunday, September 29 clarified that the stolen papers were not title deeds but papers used to print title deeds.
"We would like to reassure Kenyans that what was stolen at the Government printer are not title deeds but the papers used to print titles."
The ministry also said that the papers can only be title deeds after they are handed over to the Ministry of Lands, filled with ownership details and sealed with a stamp and signature of the registrar.
According to the ministry, the most obvious cause of the theft of the security papers was an intention by corrupt cartels to produce fake title deeds.“The most obvious motivation for the theft of the papers was an intention by corrupt cartels to produce fake titles,” it said in a statement.

Read Also: I Financed Her Addictions, Now She Is Fully Dependent on Me.

In the statement, the ministry also said that one officer working in the government printer has been arrested in relation to the theft.
This comes months after six suspects were arrested after being found to be printing fake land documents as per instructions from different clients including rogue brokers and Ministry of Land officials.
"They receive instructions from different clients among them rogue brokers and rogue ministry of land officials who direct them to print fake documents and append signatures and stamps of ministry officials without their knowledge," a lead detective investigating the case revealed.