After 11 years, Pumwani Maternity has finally acquired its title deed after operating without one for 11 years since 2012.
This was among the 2000 title deeds issued by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Thursday.
“We have more than 7500 data captured under our titling program and the Ministry of Land has helped us. We will today start issuing the first 2000 and the rest will be issued with time,” he said.
The Governor explained that rates are a major revenue source and will work hard to ensure that people get deeds because they cannot continue paying rates for what they do not fully own.
He disclosed that 88 percent of land in Nairobi is not titled.
"This means we have land which was allocated 40-50 years ago and should be used to generate income yet the people are yet to be given their deeds. Our biggest source of revenue has been rated,” Sakaja added
Pumwani Maternity was among other key public properties in Nairobi, like Uhuru and Central Parks which lacked ownership documents.
Back in 2016, City Hall revealed that 15 acres meant for the expansion of Pumwani had been grabbed which resulted in stalling of the expansion plans.
The then Nairobi Health Executive Benard Muya revealed that the hospital only sat on five acres of its original allocation of 20 acres.
He also noted that Pumwani had fallen victim to developers who had grabbed the 15 acres meant to host the Intensive Care Unit, main hospital blocks A and B, ablution block, operating theatre, mortuary, children's playing ground and houses for doctors and healthcare providers.
Pumwani Maternity is the biggest referral hospital in the four counties forming the Nairobi metropolitan area.
Despite the lack of a title deed, the hospital has undergone a major transformation since September 2019, when 12 bodies of infants were found stored in polythene bags.
In April 2020, a breast milk bank was opened at the facility.
Pumwani which has been known for maternal services since it was started 93 years ago, started offering other outpatient services in 2020.