The government has moved to ease the burden of thousands of Kenyans tied up in decades-old land debt by scrapping more than Sh5.3 billion in interest owed to the Settlement Fund Trustees (SFT).
For years, beneficiaries of the SFT scheme have been weighed down by arrears that date back over half a century, with some unable to secure title deeds for their parcels of land. The Ministry of Lands now says the relief will clear the way for property owners to finally regularize their holdings.
Lands, Settlement and Housing Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome explained that while Kenyans collectively owe about Sh6.2 billion in principal, the accrued interest alone had ballooned to over Sh12 billion. She noted that the state has resolved to waive the interest, leaving landowners responsible only for paying the original sums.
“The government is owed over Sh12 billion in interest earned on land transactions accrued more than 40 years ago. We have waived the interest, and the owners will pay only the initial principal amount,” Wahome said.
The move is expected to unlock long-delayed issuance of title deeds and ease pressure on families who inherited debts stretching across generations.
