Institution of Surveyors of Kenya Challenges National Land Commission Nominees: Zero Land Professionals Among Seven Appointments

ISK President Eric Nyadimo, MISK, LS(K), addresses journalists during the emergency press conference at the Institution's Council Room, 10th Floor, Reinsurance Plaza, Nairobi. February 18, 2026. Photo: The 254 Report

Seven nominees. Zero land professionals. The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya held an emergency press conference on Tuesday at Reinsurance Plaza, Nairobi, to formally challenge the nomination of a Chairperson and six members to the National Land Commission. Not a single nominee comes from the core land professions that the National Land Commission Act explicitly lists as qualifying fields.

Presidential Action No. V of 2026, dated February 17, nominated Dr. Abdillahi Saggaf Alawy of Kwale County as Chairperson alongside six members. The nominations followed recommendations by the Selection Panel appointed through Kenya Gazette Notice No. 11212 of 2025, giving effect to a Court of Appeal ruling delivered on February 13, 2026 in Civil Application No. E662 of 2025.

The Institution, representing over 7,200 professionals across eight disciplines, registered what ISK President Eric Nyadimo called "great disappointment."

The NLC Nominees

Two serving commissioners remain unaffected. The Court of Appeal affirmed that the tenure of Esther Murugi Mathenge and Tiyah Galgalo Ali, whose terms expire on December 20, 2026, is protected.

The Statement

Nyadimo read a four page statement tracing the origins of the National Land Commission to the Njonjo Commission of 1999, the Ndung'u Commission of 2003 to 2004 which exposed illegal and secret allocations of public land, and the National Accord and Reconciliation Act of 2008. The Commission was designed to ensure constitutional and policy reforms, professionalism in land administration, accountability in land governance, and to address historical injustices.

Section 8 of the National Land Commission Act sets the qualifications for appointment. A person must hold a degree from a recognised university, have at least fifteen years of experience for Chairperson or ten years for members in specified fields, and meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution. The fields explicitly listed include land law, land survey, spatial planning, and land economics.

The statement describes the Commission's functions under Section 5 as "inherently technical and spatial in nature" requiring "deep expertise in land surveying, valuation, physical planning, environmental management, and land administration and governance."

The Institution questioned whether the Selection Panel used a scoring system. "Does it mean that the landed professionals who applied for these positions scored so low to warrant their exclusion?" the statement reads.

The statement also notes that landed professionals are trained, licensed, and regulated, and that their technical knowledge "is not peripheral; it is foundational to the execution of the Commission's mandate."

The 254 Report Exclusive: Five Questions, Two Officials

After the statement, The 254 Report put five questions directly to the ISK leadership. Two went to Legal Officer Samuel Mak'Ouya. Three went to President Eric Nyadimo. Their answers revealed the Institution's legal strategy and the human cost of excluding land professionals from the Commission.

To the Legal Officer: The Disqualification Question

Section 8(3)(c) of the National Land Commission Act bars anyone who held or stood for parliamentary election within the preceding five years from appointment. At least two nominees, Mohamed Abdi Haji Mohamed and Mary Yiane Seneta, have parliamentary backgrounds. The 254 Report asked Mak'Ouya: has the Institution examined whether any of the seven nominees is disqualified under this provision?

Mak'Ouya confirmed the Institution had reviewed all seven.

The Institution had not identified a nominee clearly caught by the five year parliamentary bar based on its assessment. But Mak'Ouya stressed the larger legal point. The Act explicitly describes who qualifies under Section 8(1)(b)(v) and Section 8(2)(b)(v), listing "land law, land survey, spatial planning or land economics" as recognised fields of expertise.

ISK Legal Officer Samuel Mak'Ouya responds to questions from The 254 Report during the press conference at Reinsurance Plaza, Nairobi. February 18, 2026. Photo: The 254 Report

To the Legal Officer: The Remedies Question

The nominations have already been transmitted to Parliament. The 254 Report asked Mak'Ouya: what legal options does the Institution have right now? Court challenge? Memoranda to the vetting committee? Or both?

Mak'Ouya laid out the Institution's strategy in sequence.

Memoranda first. Litigation if those fail.

To the President: What Is at Risk for Ordinary Kenyans

The 254 Report asked Nyadimo what is concretely at risk for ordinary Kenyans, landowners, communities with historical claims, people with unresolved boundary and road disputes, if no surveyor, valuer, or planner sits on the Commission.

Nyadimo framed it as a governance crisis beyond the profession.

He drew a comparison to other constitutional commissions. The National Land Commission is supposed to function as a land focused service organ, he said, in the same way that the Judicial Service Commission is a legal experts driven organ or the Salary Review Commission draws on HR and financial experts.

To the President: If Parliament Approves, What Next

The Institution's statement says it is ready to "collaborate constructively" with the National Land Commission. The 254 Report asked Nyadimo what happens if Parliament approves the nominees regardless.

Nyadimo did not retreat.

To the President: Who Catches the Next Round

The Njonjo and Ndung'u Commissions exposed massive irregular land allocations that shaped Kenya's land crisis. The 254 Report asked Nyadimo who will have the technical eye to catch the next round without land professionals sitting on the Commission.

Nyadimo returned to the founding purpose.

The Institution's Position

The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya reaffirmed:

• Its commitment to upholding professional standards in land governance

• Its readiness to collaborate constructively with the National Land Commission and other state agencies

• Its support for transparent, merit based public appointments

• Its dedication to safeguarding the public interest in matters of land management and administration

The nominations now sit with Parliament's vetting committee. The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya has stated its position. Memoranda are coming. If those fail, the courts are next.

About the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya

The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (ISK) is the professional body that brings together professionals who provide services in the land built sector. The professionals fall within eight major disciplines: land surveying, valuation, building surveying, land administration management, engineering surveying, geospatial information management, estate agents, and property management. Membership exceeds 7,200 professionals spread across the country. ISK operates through four branch offices: Head Office at 10th Floor, Reinsurance Plaza, Taifa Road, Nairobi; Coast Branch at 9th Floor, NSSF Building, Nkrumah Road, Mombasa; Western Branch at 2nd Floor, Sifa House, Kibuye Mission Road, Kisumu; and South Rift Branch at 1st Floor, OJ Building, Stanley Mathenge Road, Nakuru.