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{
    "id": 1116255,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1116255/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 267,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Bondo, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Gideon Ochanda",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1264,
        "legal_name": "Gideon Ochanda Ogolla",
        "slug": "gideon-ochanda-ogolla"
    },
    "content": "Siaya County Council. According to the records that we have, the Yala Swamp land, together with the riverine lakes, is estimated to be 7,500 hectares. It is now apparent that the NLC and the County Government of Siaya are allocating the entire swamp land to M/s Lake Agro Limited, and this is unacceptable to us. The history of the Yala Swamp land recognises that Alego, Usonga and Yimbo communities settled and utilised portions of the swamp land up to the 1960s, when they agreed amongst themselves to move out and pave way for the construction of an artificial river course way for purposes of flood control and reclamation of land. The new river course way was completed in 1969. From then onwards, the communities did not go back to settle on their lands but agreed on their own free will to use the land for cultivation and livestock reserves. In the late 1970s, the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA), based on an agreement with the communities, started a structured farming arrangement on the eastern tip of the swamp land. Of course, the LBDA activities did not go on for long. They folded their operations and the ownership of the land reverted to the communities for their use. However, in 2005, the then Siaya County Council, through a disputed agreement, leased out the land to M/s Dominion Farms. The disputed agreement subsisted until M/s Dominion Farms shut down their operations some time in 2019. The communities are not against land allocation to any entity. I want to repeat that the communities are not against land allocation to any entity but, the first consideration must be given to the communities’ interests. We need a lot of peace with any investor – peace which will only prevail when the communities have their space. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is against this background that I seek a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Lands on the following: (i) Could the Chairperson explain the circumstances under which the NLC is allocating the entire Yala Swamp land to a private developer and for how long? (ii) Could the Chairperson explain the status of the House resolution on which its recommendations included that the local communities must be recognised and be allocated land alongside any other engagements? (iii) Could the Chairperson explain under what circumstances the Commission did survey and named blocks as Usonga, including lands that are in Bondo Constituency, knowing very well that Usonga is in Alego Usonga Constituency and they have their own land registry and Bondo has its own land registry? Therefore, any lands that are within Bondo Constituency must be recognised under the land registry in Bondo, (iv) Could the Chairperson confirm the assurance that in whatever allocation arrangements being considered, the alienation and allocation of the community blocks must run concurrently with the allocation done for private developers and further confirm and demonstrate that any lands alienated for community use must fall on the safely reclaimed areas? (v) Could the Chairperson explain whether there is proof of revocation before the same lands are allocated to another party, considering that in as much as M/s Dominion Farms Limited stopped operations, the legal instruments subsist and the legal agreements between Ms/ Dominion and Siaya County Council – now Siaya County Government – was for 40 years from 2005? (vi) Could the Chairperson explain under what arrangements M/s Lake Agro Ltd has been operating in the area for the last 4 years and yet, they are yet to be allocated the said land? 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."
}