Mr. Kendle B. Williams
By Hayden Boyce - Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Mr. Kendle B. Williams has resigned as Registrar of Lands after receiving what he described as a rather discourteous letter from His Excellency Governor Wetherall.Williams, who held the post of Registrar of Lands for three years and two months, was at the Land Registry office last Monday when he received the letter which raised concerns about three days which he had taken off for medical treatment.
The letter instructed him that he would be placed on administrative leave “until further notice”, and it also asked him to write to the Office of Public Service Management (“OPSM”) to show good reason why he should not be suspended and placed on half-pay.
The letter from the Governor was dated September 23, 2009, and delivered to Williams on September 28, 2009, the same day he was required to respond.
Williams, a qualified barrister and attorney-at-law, who previously served as Registrar of Companies for two-and-a-half years, and who has been credited for helping to positively transform the Land Registry, said he took exception to the tone and content of the letter from the Governor.
“I looked at it (the letter) as being discourteous to someone like myself who has played a key role in helping to elevate the Registry from where it was three years ago to its more vigorous position today”, he told the SUN in an exclusive interview.
“For someone who has toiled as I have, to be summarily placed on administrative leave until further notice because he was unwell and had to go overseas for medical treatment was disconcerting. And being under no illusion as to the collateral maneuverings of the Government since the suspension of the Constitution, I was not prepared to become engaged in a fastidious bout of acrimony – which for me, seemed a losing battle. So, I wrote back to the Governor, acknowledged his letter, referenced the date it was written and received and also took the opportunity to unequivocally deny taking any unauthorized or unjustified leave at any time.”
Williams said he resigned effective September 28, 2009. His former Deputy Registrar, Grisilda Smith, is now Acting Registrar of Lands.
Williams stated that during his tenure as Registrar of Lands, he presided over more dealings in land, both Crown and private, than all of his predecessors combined. “The value and sophistication of those transactions also surpassed transactions prior to my assuming office”, he added. “More importantly, nothing went wrong. For example, there is no law suit on record claiming damages against the Land Registry.”
In this regard, Williams credits his hardworking former members of staff of the Land Registry.
Williams said it is his intention to go into private practice.