Kenya Considers Temporary Land Titles to Ease Housing Transfer Delays

Kenya is considering the introduction of temporary land titles to speed up housing unit transfers and reduce delays in the affordable housing sector.

The proposal was presented by Chris Chege, Director of Credit and Operations at Shelter Afrique Development Bank, during the 2025 Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC) Affordable Housing Conference. Chege said the measure could ease the financial strain on developers, who often face interest rates of between 15 and 20 percent while waiting for formal land titles, delays that can last up to 18 months after construction is complete.

Under the proposed system, developers or initial project owners would issue legally recognised temporary titles, allowing buyers to take possession of units immediately. These interim documents could be used by financial institutions for transactions or as collateral, while the official titling process continues in parallel. Chege compared the mechanism to a buy-back guarantee, aimed at improving project offtake and reducing risk exposure for developers.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ Real Estate Survey Report 2023/2024 shows that residential properties took an average of 16 months to sell once listed. Two-bedroom townhouses and three-bedroom bungalows sold more quickly, within six and eight months respectively, but apartments remained on the market for up to 19 months. The report also noted that properties with sale periods longer than one year often experienced lower final sale prices.

The proposal has received mixed reactions. KMRC Managing Director and CEO Johnstone Oltetia argued that a fully digitised land registry could eliminate the need for temporary titles altogether. 

“When you have digitisation done, you improve efficiency. There might not be any need to issue temporary titles,” he said, adding that such documents should be considered only as a temporary measure.

While land digitisation is underway, its rollout remains inconsistent across counties. Lucy Owano, Affordable Housing Project Manager at FSD-Kenya, noted that many counties still rely on manual systems, which slow down approvals. She cited Rwanda’s digitised land records and pre-approved building plans as an example Kenya could follow.

Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, Alice Wahome, confirmed that the government is working to establish a secure, unified land administration system. She said digital and legal infrastructure is being developed across all 47 counties, alongside a comprehensive review of land laws aimed at harmonising regulations and improving investor confidence.

Improving the speed and transparency of land transactions is seen as essential to encouraging greater private sector involvement in housing delivery. Digitised systems could also support county-level revenue collection and strengthen urban planning.