Nairobi – Parliament has approved a Sh320 million compulsory acquisition of land in Dagoretti South constituency to resolve a longstanding ownership dispute between the Greek Orthodox Church and PC Kinyanjui Technical Training Institute.
The land, gifted to the church in 1972 by former President Jomo Kenyatta, currently houses the public institute. However, the lack of a title deed for the institute has raised concerns from the Auditor General, as public funds cannot be invested on private property.
Despite the church’s willingness to host the institute, the Public Investment Committee on Governance and Education has recommended compulsory acquisition to secure the institute’s ownership and enable future infrastructure development. This aligns with the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act of 2013, which mandates public institutions to possess their own title deeds.
“The committee recommends that the Office of the Attorney-General commences the process of compulsory acquisition as provided for in the Constitution of Kenya under Article 40(3) and the Public Land Act 2012,” reads the committee’s report chaired by Bumula MP Wanami Wamboka.
This proposed course of action was previously endorsed by Attorney General Justin Muturi, who acknowledged compulsory acquisition as the only viable solution during a session with the oversight committee last year.
The land ownership issue came to light during the Auditor General’s 2019-20 audit report, which flagged the institute’s Sh320 million land valuation without a corresponding title deed.
Further complicating the matter is the historical context of the donation. The land was originally granted to the church as a 99-year lease agreement, part of a diplomatic gesture towards Cyprus, whose president at the time also served as the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church. The agreement envisioned the construction of a school and a church on separate portions of the property.
However, attempts by the Kenyan government to acquire the portion hosting the institute were met with refusal from the church, hindering the subdivision of the land.
With Parliament’s approval, the Attorney General’s office will now initiate the compulsory acquisition process, marking a potential end to the decades-long land ownership saga and paving the way for secure development of the PC Kinyanjui Technical Training Institute.