Major factors that affect the sale of lands in Kenya

Land is a very precious commodity in Kenya considering that its value is always appreciating with time. As such land continues to elicit both positive and negative reactions among different members of the Kenyan society even contributing to some of the worst tribal clashes in the history of Kenya. More people are jostling and fighting for land through dubious means and even forcefully evicting members of different tribes from their rightfully owned lands. There are various cases of land grabbing by the mighty members of the society of the society. This gives real estate agents a hard time in the course of their work of selling lands in Kenya.

Negative ethnicity or rather tribalism in the local dialect is the biggest threat to sale of lands in Kenya. The Country has experienced ethnic clashes over time since independence over land related issues. These clashes have led to loss of lives, multiple reported rape cases, forceful eviction and increased animosity and mistrust among members of different tribes in Kenya. Our national leaders have not been of any help as they are the same people who usually fund and fuel these animosities for personal and selfish gains. The result of this is a scared people who are not willing to venture outside their comfort zones i.e. out of their tribal lands. Most people would rather buy property within the precincts of their ancestral lands for fear of tribal attacks if they buy property in other tribally unfriendly zones. This eventually slows down economic progress by a significant margin since loaded investors are not able to invest in places of their choice and sometimes they are forced to let go of very prime lands.

There is an urgent need for government intervention in this crucial matter. Stringent laws should be put in place to deal with perpetrators of ethnic violence and cleansing that take place in Kenya from time to time. It is important to stress and see through to it that any citizen of Kenya is able to buy land and settle in whichever area he/she chooses to so long as due procedure is followed in the process of land acquisition. Leaders who fuel ethnic propaganda should also be held accountable to their actions. In addition to this they should be forced to vacate office immediately such allegations are brought against them.

Real estate agents in Kenya also face the hurdle of sibling rivalry in the process of their work. This may seem like a small matter but on a broader perspective, no transaction can take place until the wrangling parties come to an agreement. This is because either party usually rushes to court to stop the buying process from going through. When this happens, the court puts an injunction stopping further transaction until the matter is put to rest. This immensely affects the sale of lands in Kenya because the aggrieved parties may take ages to sort out their differences.