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National Association of Kenya Auctioneers national chairman Maurice Osundwa \/ HANDOUT<\/p>\nNational Association of Kenya Auctioneers national chairman Maurice Osundwa \/ HANDOUT<\/p>\n
For years, Kenya\u2019s auctioneering profession has carried a deeply negative
\npublic image. To many Kenyans, the mention of an auctioneer immediately evokes
\nfear, intimidation, chaos and humiliation. Stories of midnight raids, violent
\nproperty seizures and confrontations involving hired goons have dominated
\npublic perception of the sector.<\/p>\n
\nYet the uncomfortable truth is that many of these acts are not committed by
\nlicensed auctioneers at all.
\nInstead, the greatest threat to the integrity of the profession comes from
\nmasqueraders and unlicensed individuals, who exploit public ignorance, hide
\nbehind the name of auctioneers and engage in illegal enforcement activities for
\npersonal gain.<\/p>\n
These rogue actors routinely violate the
\nAuctioneers Act, operate without accountability and tarnish the reputation of
\nprofessionals who are legally mandated to execute court orders and debt recovery
\nprocesses within the law.
\nKenya’s auctioneering sector is far more important to the economy than most
\npeople realise to the enforcement of court decrees, recovery of non-performing
\nloans, realisation of charged assets and disposal of public and private
\nproperty.<\/p>\n
According to industry estimates, Kenya has
\nbetween 500 and 600 licensed auctioneers operating across all 47 counties,
\nhandling thousands of cases each year for courts, banks, landlords and
\nbusinesses.
\nThe industry has become even more critical as financial institutions grapple
\nwith rising non-performing loans. Kenya\u2019s banking sector has, in recent years,
\nrecorded non-performing loan ratios above 14 per cent, increasing dependence on
\nlawful asset recovery mechanisms.
\nUnfortunately, as the demand for recovery services grows, so, too, has the rise
\nof illegal operators posing as licensed auctioneers. These masqueraders thrive
\nin confusion.<\/p>\n
Many members of the public cannot
\ndistinguish between a licensed auctioneer and a criminal posing as one. They
\nexploit this gap by carrying out unlawful evictions, charging illegal fees,
\nconducting seizures outside legal hours and using violence and intimidation
\nthat have no place in a professional justice system.<\/p>\n
Fake auctioneers undercut professional
\nfees, expose clients to costly legal disputes and erode trust in the entire
\nsector. Banks, courts, landlords and businesses that unknowingly engage
\nunlicensed operators risk lawsuits, reputational damage and invalid enforcement
\nprocesses.<\/p>\n
This is why professional bodies such as the National Association of Kenya
\nAuctioneers (Naka), the Kenya National Society of Professional Auctioneers (Kensap)
\nand the Auctioneers\u2019 Licensing Board must urgently intensify efforts to clean
\nup the profession.<\/p>\n
The first step is making it easy for the public to verify legitimate
\nauctioneers.<\/p>\n
Kenya is rapidly digitising public services, and the auctioneering sector
\ncannot afford to remain behind. The Auctioneers\u2019 Licensing Board, together with
\nindustry associations, should establish a live public verification portal containing
\nnames, licence numbers, photographs and current licensing status of all
\nregistered auctioneers.<\/p>\n
Banks, courts, law firms and members of
\nthe public should be encouraged to confirm authenticity before issuing
\ninstructions or complying with enforcement notices.<\/p>\n
Digital verification tools such as QR-coded licences and identification cards
\nwould significantly reduce fraud. A simple scan should instantly confirm
\nwhether an auctioneer is genuine and licensed to operate.<\/p>\n
In addition, every licensed auctioneer should be required to display their
\nlicence number on notices, advertisements, official correspondence and business
\ncards. Public awareness campaigns must reinforce a simple message: If there is
\nno valid licence number, walk away.<\/p>\n
The second priority is tougher enforcement. The Auctioneers Act already
\ncriminalises unlicensed practice, but enforcement remains inconsistent.
\nProfessional associations should establish dedicated complaints and
\nintelligence desks to collect evidence against rogue operators and forward
\nairtight cases to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the
\nAuctioneers\u2019 Licensing Board for prosecution.<\/p>\n
There is a need for public accountability. A regularly updated \u2018caution list\u2019
\nof suspected or convicted masqueraders should be shared with banks, courts, law
\nfirms and the public through media platforms. Reputation is everything in this
\nsector, and exposing illegal operators would deter many from entering the
\ntrade.<\/p>\n
The institutions that hire auctioneers must also take responsibility. Banks,
\ncourts and legal firms are among the largest consumers of auctioneering
\nservices. Partnerships between the judiciary, the Law Society of Kenya, the
\nKenya Bankers Association and professional auctioneers\u2019 associations could
\nensure that only verified practitioners receive instructions.<\/p>\n
Beyond enforcement, the sector desperately needs public education. Many Kenyans
\ndo not understand the legal process surrounding auctions, repossessions and
\ncourt-ordered recoveries.<\/p>\n
This ignorance allows rogue actors to
\nmanipulate victims and fuel hostility toward legitimate auctioneers. Civic
\neducation through radio, print, digital media and public forums would help
\ncitizens understand their rights, obligations and how to identify lawful enforcement
\nprocedures.<\/p>\n
\nHowever, reform must also come with discipline from within the profession
\nitself. Licensed auctioneers who violate ethical standards must face swift
\ndisciplinary action. Professionalism, transparency and humane conduct are
\nessential if the industry hopes to rebuild public confidence.
\nWhat must be avoided is vigilantism or violent confrontations against suspected
\nmasqueraders. Such actions only create further liability and deepen the
\nsector\u2019s damaged reputation. The solution lies in documentation, investigation
\nand prosecution,\u00a0not mob justice.<\/p>\n
Kenya\u2019s auctioneering profession is too important to be left at the mercy of
\ncriminals masquerading as officers of the law. Cleaning up the sector will not
\nonly protect the public but also restore dignity to a profession that remains
\nessential to the country\u2019s justice and financial systems.<\/p>\n
\nMaurice Osundwa is the national chairman of the National Association of Kenya
\nAuctioneers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"National Association of Kenya Auctioneers national chairman Maurice Osundwa \/ HANDOUT For years, Kenya\u2019s auctioneering profession has carried…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228714,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[116564,80,351,116566,116565,1033,116567,17470,352,98,100,36736,353,101,350,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-228713","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kenya","8":"tag-auctioneering","9":"tag-kenya","10":"tag-kenya-news","11":"tag-maurice-osundwa","12":"tag-national-association-of-kenya-auctioneers","13":"tag-opinion","14":"tag-proposal","15":"tag-reforms","16":"tag-star","17":"tag-star-news","18":"tag-star-news-kenya","19":"tag-star-newspaper","20":"tag-star-newspaper-kenya","21":"tag-the-star","22":"tag-the-star-kenya","23":"tag-the-star-newspaper"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@africa\/116553870710931518","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}