Lands Principal Secretary (PS) Nixon Korir, on Thursday, May 25, warned the ministry's staff who defied transfer orders noting that the reforms would continue as planned.
Korir, the former Langata Member of Parliament, lamented that the ministry was facing fierce pushback from high-ranking officials from Ardhi House who had been transferred to other stations.
However, the cartel was accused of consolidating support to fight the transfers to remain at Ardhi House. Other staff filed cases at the Employment and Labour Relations Court to block their transfers.
Some staff had served in the same office for 15 years without ever being transferred. The majority of those opposing the reshuffling were said to be senior officers who also incited clerks, records officers and registrars.
Korir disclosed that transfers are normal for civil servants and that attempts to block transfers signal ulterior motives. Ardhi House employees were reported to always seek orders to halt changes at the ministry.
The PS hence reiterated that the Kenya Kwanza administration was keen to clean up Ardhi House regardless of the resistance faced.
"No one is immune to transfer. Transfers are mandatory for any civil servant, so when you see people going that far to block their transfers there is something there and that's how cartels work," PS Korir stated while addressing the media.
Furthermore, he stated that the changes would improve staff morale and enhance service delivery. The customer service desks on the ground floor of Ardhi House were under renovation to enhance service provision and reduce congestion.
"Unlike in the past, with long queues and the habit of brokers loitering within Ardhi House, the order has been restored and visitors to the Government building are served quickly," Korir explained.
Revamping the ArdiSasa platform, also known as the National Land Information Management System, an online platform which allows citizens to access land services digitally was also highlighted.
On January 31, 2023, the Cabinet approved the full rollout of Ardhisasa, launched by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in April 2021.
Land Cabinet Secretary Zachariah Njeru and PS Korir, in April 2023, met department staff, the Law Society of Kenya, the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya, the Kenya Bankers Association and the Association of Private Surveyors of Kenya to audit Ardhisasa.
The group agreed to form a technical team to spearhead the exercise, in the meeting held at the Geospatial Data Center in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
A public awareness exercise will also be rolled out to ensure Kenyans are brought up to speed with changes and educated on how to use the platform. This was after the Ministry of Lands took over the management of Ardhisasa from other stakeholders and government units.
The CS and his PS expect a comprehensive report on the digitized platform in the first two weeks of June 2023.