- Public schools without title deeds could struggle to attract government and donor infrastructure investment.
- Suna West MP Peter Masara says efforts are underway to regularise school land ownership documentation.
- Migori Deputy Governor Joseph Mahiri says community-donated school land requires formal ownership documentation.
Several public schools in Migori County could miss out on crucial infrastructure investment because they lack title deeds, leaders and school administrators have warned.
Suna West MP Peter Masara said institutions that had received development support through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) needed to regularise ownership of their land to protect investments and facilitate future projects.
Speaking at Saint Francis Marindi Primary School during the launch of newly constructed classrooms, Masara said efforts were underway to process title deeds for schools in his constituency.
“We have tried to acquire title deeds for schools that the CDF has invested in. This is important because development cannot be guaranteed when ownership of the land is not properly documented,” Masara said.
He said the subdivision of mother titles was ongoing, although some schools were yet to have their names transferred to the relevant title documents.
Masara acknowledged that succession was a lengthy process but said he would work to ensure it was expedited.
“Succession takes time, but we will help speed up the process of acquiring title deeds in our constituency so that schools can benefit from more development,” he said.
Land ownership concerns extend beyond Suna West
Migori Deputy Governor Joseph Mahiri said the problem was more widespread, particularly in the Kuria region, where many schools were established on land donated by local communities.
Speaking at Bungutwi Comprehensive School in Nyabikaye, Kuria West Sub-County, Mahiri said unresolved land ownership issues were discouraging investment in public schools.
“The county and national governments, as well as donors, find it hard to invest in a public school that lacks proper land credentials because of succession claims,” he said.
Mahiri said most schools in the region had been established through community goodwill but formal succession had not been undertaken.
He pledged to work with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to ensure the schools obtained the necessary documentation.
“We will continue working with the Ministry of Education and other relevant stakeholders to make sure schools get the documents they need to move their infrastructure projects forward,” Mahiri said.
School seeks government intervention
At Bungutwi, headteacher Joyce Nyangi said the school was already feeling the impact of the documentation problem, alongside shortages of classrooms and teachers.
The institution is also experiencing declining enrolment, which she said was affecting the quality of education.
“We urgently need government assistance to secure a title deed. The community donated this land, but formal succession has never been processed,” Nyangi said.
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She appealed to the government to intervene, saying a title deed would enable the school to pursue infrastructure projects with greater confidence and attract support from development partners.
By Kimutai Langat
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