Buyer protection
How to verify a title deed in Kajiado
Kajiado land records run on Ardhisasa, so you can check any title yourself from your phone in a few days, for a few hundred shillings. Here is the process, step by step.
- 1
Create or log in to your Ardhisasa account
Register at ardhisasa.lands.go.ke with your ID number and phone. Verification is by OTP; have the phone registered to your ID at hand.
- 2
Get the exact title/parcel number from the seller
Ask for the full LR or parcel number as it appears on the deed, plus a copy of the deed itself. A seller who hesitates to share these has already answered your real question.
- 3
Request an official search on the parcel
Under Land Administration, select Search, enter the parcel number and pay the search fee via the integrated payment options. Results typically return within a few days.
- 4
Read the search certificate carefully
Confirm the registered owner matches the person selling (or their properly documented representative), and check the encumbrance section for charges, cautions, court orders or inhibitions. Any entry there needs an explanation from a lawyer, not the seller.
- 5
Match the ground to the paper
A clean search does not prove the beacons are where the seller points. Engage a licensed surveyor to confirm the plot on the ground matches the deed plan, especially in subdivision areas.
- 6
Complete due diligence beyond the registry
For scheme plots, verify the mother title and the scheme register. Confirm land rates status at the county. Use an advocate for the sale agreement. The search is the beginning of diligence, not the end of it.
What a dirty search looks like, and what a clean one still cannot tell you
The value of the search certificate is in two places: the owner line and the encumbrance section. If the registered owner does not match the person selling, stop until that is explained by documents, not by reassurance. In the encumbrance section, a charge means the land is used as security for a loan and cannot transfer cleanly until it is discharged. A caution or restriction means someone has lodged an interest and must be dealt with first. A court order or inhibition means there is a live dispute over the land. None of these automatically kills a deal, but each one is a stop-and-ask-your-advocate, never a proceed-anyway.
A clean search is necessary but it is not the whole picture, and knowing its limits is what separates a careful buyer from a lucky one. The register will not tell you whether the beacons sit where the seller points, whether part of the plot falls on a road reserve or a riparian reserve along a watercourse, whether land rates are owed to the county, or whether the person holding the title documents is really the registered owner. For scheme and sacco plots it will not confirm that the mother title supports the subdivision you are buying into. Each of those gaps is closed by a different check: a licensed surveyor for the beacons and reserves, a rates search at the county, an ID confirmation against the registered owner, and the scheme register for cooperative plots.
The risk worth naming plainly is impersonation, a genuine title sold by someone who is not its owner. It is defeated by matching the seller's ID to the registered owner and by being wary of anyone selling on another person's behalf without a registered power of attorney. Treat the search as the start of your diligence rather than the finish line, and let your advocate hold the money until every one of these checks is done.
Want us to run the title search with you? It's free when we help you buy.
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Common questions
How much does a land search cost in Kenya?
The official Ardhisasa search fee is modest (a few hundred shillings), plus any advocate fees if you have a lawyer conduct it. It is the cheapest insurance in the entire transaction.
How long does an Ardhisasa search take?
Usually a few working days from payment, sometimes faster. Build it into your offer timeline and never let a seller rush you past it.
Does a clean search mean the plot is safe to buy?
It means the registry shows the named owner and no registered encumbrances. It does not confirm beacons, scheme standing, rates status or the seller's identity. Complete those checks before paying.
Next: the full land buying process in Kitengela, from first viewing to registered transfer.