Land Title Search in Kenya: Ardhisasa and Registry Guide

Last reviewed: 17 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fees and registry procedures change, so confirm the current position with the registry or your advocate.

A title deed is a piece of paper. The land register is the record that counts. An official search asks the registry what the register says today about a specific parcel: who owns it, how big it is and whether anything is registered against it. Every land purchase in Kenya should start with one, and it should be repeated just before you pay the balance.

This is part two of our series on buying property in Kenya from abroad. Part one covers the full buying process.

What an official search tells you

The search result reflects the register for that parcel number. You should expect to see:

Under the Land Registration Act 2012, a caution can be lodged by someone who claims a right to an interest in the land, and it can stop registration of dealings until it is removed. A charge means a lender has security over the land. Neither is automatically a deal-breaker, but both need to be dealt with in writing before you pay.

What a search does not tell you

A clean search is necessary, but it is not enough on its own. It does not show:

• Where the boundaries are on the ground. Only a surveyor can confirm the beacons.
• Who is living on or using the land. Occupiers and family members can have claims that are not on the register.
• Whether the seller in front of you is really the owner. Impersonation with forged IDs is a known fraud pattern. Match ID numbers, not just names.
• Planning rules, rates arrears or land rent arrears. These come from the county and, for leasehold land, the lessor.
• Forgeries inside the system. Rare, but investigators have reported cases of forged titles and grants. A history check (the parcel's past entries) helps, and your advocate can request it at the registry where the register is still on paper.

Is the parcel on Ardhisasa?

Ardhisasa is the Ministry of Lands' online platform for land searches, transfers, stamp duty and other services. It has been rolled out in phases:

• Nairobi and Murang'a registries were the first to move most dealings online.
• Isiolo had registration blocks onboarded in July 2025.
• Mombasa moved dealings on newly onboarded blocks to the platform from 20 July 2026, according to the Ministry of Lands.
• Most other counties still handle searches at the county land registry while onboarding continues.

There is no single published list of every onboarded block that we could verify, so ask your advocate or the registry whether a given parcel is handled online.

How to search on Ardhisasa

The broad steps, as described by the platform and published guides:

1. Create an account at ardhisasa.lands.go.ke. Guides describe registration with a Kenyan national ID, a phone number and an email address, verified by a one-time code sent by SMS. If you only hold a passport or live abroad without a working Kenyan number, ask your advocate to run the search for you.
2. Log in and open the land search service.
3. Enter the parcel or title number exactly as it appears on the title.
4. Pay the search fee through the platform's payment gateway. Published guides quote different amounts (KES 500 is the most common figure, some quote more), so treat the amount shown at checkout as the authority.
5. Owner consent. Ardhisasa notifies the registered owner and asks them to consent before a search result is released to a third party. A genuine seller has no reason to refuse. If the "owner" will not approve your search, stop.
6. Download the result and save it with the date.

When the platform is down

In September 2026 Ardhisasa had outages that affected land searches, transfers, title and lease registration and stamp duty payments, and the Law Society of Kenya called publicly for restoration and clear communication. If the platform is unavailable during your transaction:

• Do not release the balance on the strength of an old search
• Keep dated screenshots of errors and payment references
• Agree an extension in writing rather than skipping steps
• Run a fresh search as soon as service returns

How to search at a county land registry

Where a parcel is not on Ardhisasa, the search is made at the land registry that holds the register:

1. Fill in the official search application form at the registry. Guides refer to it as Form RL 26.
2. Attach a copy of the title or the parcel details, and copies of your ID and KRA PIN, as the registry requires.
3. Pay the official fee and keep the receipt.
4. Collect the certified search result when it is ready.

Fees and turnaround vary by registry, so ask at the counter or have your advocate confirm. Do not pay "facilitation" money to anyone outside the official payment channels.

Running the search from abroad

You do not need to fly home for a search. The safest arrangement is:

• Your own advocate runs the search and sends you the result directly, by email from the firm's official address.
• Never rely on a search the seller or agent gives you, even if it looks official. Screenshots and PDFs are easy to edit.
• Ask for two searches: one at the start, before you sign anything, and one just before completion.
• Match the details yourself. Compare the parcel number, owner names, ID numbers and size against the sale agreement and the seller's ID.

Further checks that belong with the search

Older titles and conversions

Some areas have moved older titles into the Land Registration Act system, which can mean a new parcel number for the same land. If the title the seller shows you looks old, or the number does not match the registry, ask your advocate to confirm the current registration before you go further. A mismatch is a reason to pause, not a formality.

Reading a result: red flags

• The owner name matches but the ID number does not
• A caution or restriction appears that the seller "forgot" to mention
• The size on the search is smaller than the size advertised
• The result is dated weeks ago and the seller resists a fresh search
• The seller refuses Ardhisasa consent or insists on running the search themselves

How Kenya Home Search can help

Listings with the Verified Owner badge have passed our ID check and a title check at the time of verification. That reduces risk, but it does not replace your own search, because the register can change after we check. For a dedicated check on a specific property, see our property verification service, or browse land for sale and ask owners for the parcel number before you do anything else.

Next in the series: land and property scams that target buyers abroad.