Surveyors have faced a legal setback after the High Court dismissed their attempt to stop public consultations on a new policy by the National Treasury aimed at regulating the valuation of government assets.
The Institution of Surveyors of Kenya had raised concerns that the draft Government Assets Valuation Policy Framework for the Public Sector 2025 allows unqualified individuals to carry out valuations.
The policy, which the Treasury released for public comment on August 26, 2025, is designed to standardise valuation methods across ministries, State corporations, and county governments.
According to the Treasury, it will help improve accountability, ensure proper management of public resources, and provide accurate assessments of State-owned land, buildings, and infrastructure.
The surveyors argued that the public participation process was flawed, pointing out that the Treasury did not clearly specify venues for county-level forums held from September 1 to 5, 2025. They said this violated constitutional principles requiring transparency and public involvement.
In their petition, they also claimed that the draft policy undermines the Valuers Act by permitting valuation tasks to be performed by people who are not registered with the Valuers Registration Board.
They described the policy as legally defective and in conflict with professional standards, as it could allow unqualified personnel to carry out critical valuation work.
The National Treasury and the Attorney-General opposed the case, defending the consultation process. However, the court did not consider these arguments. It dismissed the petition, ruling that it was procedurally flawed because it repeated requests for leave to sue that had already been granted in an earlier filing.
As a result, the legal challenge could not proceed, allowing the Treasury’s public consultations on the draft valuation framework to continue as planned.
