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{
    "id": 119105,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/119105/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 446,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "The ludicrous dimension of this is that you may find someone in Korogocho paying more in terms of land rent than somebody who has 1,000 acres in Rift Valley who is paying a paper con rent. So, what the Government gets out of 1,000 acres is less than what somebody who has a plot in Korogocho is paying as land rent, if it is property which is registered. So, on the issue of land tenure, I would want to persuade you. You should not listen to those people who are trying to say that once you got a piece of Kenyan territory, which is public--- Originally, the crown lands were not really crown lands. They were lands belonging to communities. However, they were taken by the status of crown lands and given out for free on paper con rents to individuals. They continued to occupy those pieces of land on freehold basis for many years - 1,000 years and even more. If we can rationalize that, then we will be making some wonderful progress. From page 25, which I think is the critical part of this document; there are the land use management issues. We are not paying sufficient attention to how we use our land. Land in Kenya is finite because only 20 per cent of the land area is arable. The balance of this country is characterized as either arid or semi arid. Our ecosystems, woodlands, national reserves and forests have reduced over the years. Our water surface is one of the smallest in the region; at only 2.2 per cent of the size of this country. What we do with every inch of this country is very critical. Not just the part that is arable, but all the land. We have seen countries where land is not available in the first place. However, what is available is put to good use. The land use legislation is--- First of all, I will deal with this again when we come to land administration. Land use legislation is found in many statutes, particularly when you are dealing with urban land. There is a Survey Act. The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), as an Authority, is now focusing on environmental issues. There is the Water Act, the Government Lands Act and the Registered Land Act. First of all, we need to harmonize the legislation that has to do with land use so that we can deal, in a coherent way, on how to put some land into good use. For example, today, if you want to put up a structure anywhere in Nairobi or in the rural areas, you will have to go through very many authorities. You will need to go to the local authorities--- I did not even mention the Local Government Act which has something to do with land use. There are various other legislations which create offices and authorities that you"
}