For long, Kenya's Ministry of Lands has been christened the home of cartels following the many cases of malpractice in land sales and transfers.
However, three years ago, President Uhuru Kenyatta made an appointment that would rid the Ministry of such a tag and transform the registry to modern, tamper-proof one.
The entry of Farida Karoney at the helm of the Ministry has been a raft of changes implemented, effectively kicking out these cartels and streamlining land transactions.
The lands Cabinet Secretary is hailed for revolutionalising the messy land by overseeing the development and deployment of the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS), popularly known as Ardhisasa. The initiative by the CS has seen the former science teacher commended for her remarkable transformation of the Ministry.
During the launch of the digital platform, President Kenyatta commended the efforts by CS, stating that the innovation would help in addressing the emotive land issue and kick out cartels who have held the Ministry hostage for years.
"The Aridhisasa platform will ensure that missing files, perennial fraud, graft, and unlawful land transactions will be a thing of the past when this programme is eventually rolled out throughout the country," President Kenyatta stated at the time.
Prior to joining the Cabinet, Farida, who has been described as a detailed and no-nonsense manager, served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Royal Media Services LTD (RMS). She also served as the Group Editorial Director.
During her tenure as the COO, she was credited for the growth of Citizen TV and the over 14 radio stations under the RMS stable. At her time, the station was consistently ranked as the most watched station in the country.
Additionally, many journalists have credited the Land CS for shaping their careers. During a past interview, TV journalist Enock Sikolia described how Farida helped him get his first job in the media after struggling to get employment for over a year.
Despite being a public figure, little is known of the CS who opts to keep a low profile in the public eye.
Nonetheless, the CS is an accomplished academician and was among the founding reporters at the Kenya Television Network (KTN). Farida graduated as a teacher from Kenyatta University having studied Education Science.
Her passion for media saw her pursue a post-graduate diploma in Mass Communications from the University of Nairobi and later a Master of Business Administration (Strategic Management).
Her leadership and accomplishments have seen Kenyans urge the former news reporter to contest for an elective office in the upcoming 2022 General Election. However, Farida has been clear on her future plans stating that politics was not among her priorities.
“I am a Kenyan professional with a lot of management skills and I do not think there will be a situation where I cannot find a contribution to make in our country. There will be many ways in which I can contribute and it will not be in the political space,” she stated.
