As Africans, investing in land is something we all aspire to do. Given this fact, taking the land-buying process with the utmost caution is essential. Most of us treat such an investment with little care because we think buying land should be straightforward. There is land being sold - you have the money to buy it. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. As a lawyer, I have come across hundreds of buyers who were scammed and lied out of their money as they were in a hurry to pay before proper investigations were done.

Here are the first steps to buying a piece of land before you even start going into your wallet;

1. Ask the National Government or the County Government whether the land is available for what you want ie residential, commercial or industrial. The land might look available but maybe the government has it registered as a national park or a gazetted historical site which means you cannot own it. Similarly, ask the relevant authorities if the land is close to a big road, airport, or waterbody and whether the piece of land you want is available for sale.
2. Ask the seller for copies of their National Identification Card, KRA PIN Certificate, tax compliance certificate and the title deed to the property. We will use these documents later but you need them beforehand so that you can ascertain with KRA that they are compliant with the law. I assure you, you do not want to work with a seller who has troubles with the taxing master.
3. Ascertain the value of the piece of land by engaging the services of a valuer. This is to ensure that the seller is not overcharging you.
4. Meet the seller in person. Here, you will use the copy of the ID you were given in Step 2. You will check the photo on the ID and the face of the person in front of you. They should be similar. This seems like a laughable step but I cannot tell you how many sellers use fake or stolen ID. The person on the ID is a man but the seller is a woman? RED FLAG. The person on the ID plus the birth date means the seller is now an old man but the seller is a young man? RED FLAG.
5. Meet the neighbours around that piece of land. Walk around and talk to them. This is so that you have information about the land and the seller that documents may not provide ie family quarrels, cemeteries on the land, sewage plants, the true seller of the land etc. This information gives you a more accurate feel of the investment you are going to make.

Many of my potential clients think these steps delay the process and I understand their excitement to buy the land. However, their haste always comes back to bite them. It is better to be vigilant.

Stay tuned for Part 2! For all your land transactions, visit us here and book a consultation with us for more.