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{
    "id": 627585,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/627585/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 133,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Nyamunga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 738,
        "legal_name": "Rose Nyamunga Ogendo",
        "slug": "rose-nyamunga-ogendo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Community Land Bill. I support it with few reservations. Land has been a very emotive issue in Kenya. We all know that. For a long time, Kenyans or communities have lost heavily because of the fact that community land has never been registered. Currently, community land is held by county governments. County governments hold community land in trust for now. It is very important that the land is removed from the county governments’ hands and is registered in the name of the community to protect it from further loss. If there have been issues at the national Government, the same can be transferred to county governments. The Bill is very important because it is going to deal with the issue of community land once and for all. Without registration of land, communities have found it very difficult when it comes to the Government acquiring some land for any form of development, for example, SGR, LAPSSET and any other programmes that the Government has been keen on. Since the land is not registered in the name of any community it means that the community is disadvantaged and cannot negotiate with the Government. This is because any land which is not registered in your name or in a private person’s name is considered to belong to the State. The State can do whatever it likes with it. However, if it is registered in a community’s name, then it means that that community will have a say and can also negotiate with the Government so that it gets a better share of that land. In the past, the Government, as I have already mentioned, just took public land for whatever programmes it wanted. If it is left like that, some powerful people within the counties or some corrupt officials within counties will grab it. It is very important that community land is set aside, registered and the community has a say on that land. One of the pros of this Bill is that all community land is held by the county government. I have already said that. Clause 8(5) gives powers to the CS to make rules for land adjudication on community land. This will help in sorting out issues such as those of boundaries. We have issues of boundaries between Isiolo and Meru, and Kisumu and Vihiga. Hon. Speaker, if the Cabinet Secretary is involved, rules that will solve issues of disagreement will be put in place, so that there is harmony. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}