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{
    "id": 1057101,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1057101/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 161,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Halake",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13184,
        "legal_name": "Abshiro Soka Halake",
        "slug": "abshiro-soka-halake"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Petition and say that issues of land, especially when dealing with communities, is becoming a big problem. I was a Member of the Committee on Lands, Environment and Natural Resources and yes, it is correct that there are very many petitions and cases that they are handling. That having been said, I think that something needs to be done, even if it means setting up an ad hoc committee, like Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. has mentioned. When it is private land, it is a different matter, but whenever it is community land, it looks like we have an issue. The issue is that even the Land Index Bill that we passed not so long ago, which had a very clear definition of what is private land, public land and community land; is not being applied when it comes to community land. It is as if it is only private land that is well defined and established. There is evidence of shifting boundaries not necessarily physical boundaries, but through definitions and degazettements, because all the Government needs to do is to degazette or gazette something as public or community land. I think that this is something that needs to be looked at. We have a situation where the NLC will send you to the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, the Ministry will send you back to the county, the county will send you back to the NLC and the circus goes on. I was a Member of that Committee and just the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) land issue took us two years and even to date, I do not think that it has been resolved satisfactorily. We need to find a way as Senate, especially for those vulnerable people because they do not have to wait for many months and years. We need to summon the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources so that these issues are dealt with in Plenary. Whenever issues have been escalated to the Plenary, more attention is given to them as opposed to when Committees deal with them."
}