All current title deeds will be cancelled, you must reapply for a new title deed

You will soon be required to register your title deed afresh. This is because the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning is shifting the administration and management of land to a new digital system under new laws. Title deeds in Kenya will now be handled under the Land Registration Act of 2012 through the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS). Previously, the title deeds were issued and handled under the Registered Land Act (RLA), the Registration of Titles Act (RTA), the Land Titles Act (LTA), and the Government Lands Act (GLA).

If you own a parcel in Nairobi County, you will be among the first landowners in the country to be affected. Currently, the Ministry of Lands is in the process of converting some 5,493 parcels in Nairobi. All transactions or dealings relating to parcels within Nairobi shall from April 1, 2021, be carried out in the new registers. According to the Cabinet Secretary for Lands Farida Karoney, the current title deeds will be canceled and new ones issued under the new legal regime. “The issuance of new title deeds shall retain the ownership, size, and any other interests registered against each title,” she said.

There will be no loss of ownership or registered ownership upon conversion of lands. There will also be no change in the existing freehold and leasehold. The ministry will prepare indices of parcels and a conversion list which will show the old land reference numbers alongside the new numbers.

During the conversion process, you will be required to present an application for a new title deed to the registrar of lands using a form known as Form 97. You will attach copies of your title deed, identification documents such as your national identity card and KRA PIN to this form. You will then submit your old title to the registrar for storage, upon which you will get a new title deed.