The National Museum of Kenya (NMK) is under scrutiny from the National Assembly's Public Investments Committee over its multi-billion plots of land.
Officials from NMK who testified before the committee on Social Services Administration and Agriculture disclosed that NMK owns a total of 110 parcels of land valued at Ksh1.58 billion.
During the session on Tuesday, MPs learned that several of these parcels had been irregularly allocated to private developers.
However, NMK did not provide details regarding the identity of these private developers or specify the size and location of the land they were occupying.
Additionally, only 37 land parcels had title deeds, 38 had been surveyed and registered under NMK, 33 lacked surveys and ownership documents and 2 were under dispute.
"This situation casts doubt on whether the carrying value of these properties accurately reflects their fair market value," read a statement from Parliament.
Mary Gikungu the NMK Managing Director while responding to the concerns raised by the MPs confirmed that indeed there was an issue in the allocation of land to private developers.
She also informed the committee that the agency had completed an evaluation which partially resolved the issue of the unsurveyed land parcels.
"Nevertheless, NMK still faces challenges with illegal inhabitants on some parcels and seeks intervention from various state agencies to resolve these disputes," she remarked.
Gikungu did not disclose whether NMK had begun efforts to reclaim the land from private developers or establish improved frameworks for the legal reallocation of the land.
In a significant move earlier in March, the government reclaimed land that had been illegally taken from the National Museums of Kenya in Mtwapa, Kilifi County.
Culture and Heritage Principal Secretary Ummi Bashir spearheaded the recovery operation and issued a strong warning to all individuals unlawfully occupying National Government land.
