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{
    "id": 1268299,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1268299/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mwingi North, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Eng.) Paul Nzengu",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "First, I appreciate the work that has been done by the Chairperson of the Committee. I think the wisdom is clearly recognised. The fact that we have been operating with a law that was enacted in 1956, and another one that was enacted in 1964, defeats the very fact that we have a new Constitution. Aligning the law with the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 is very important particularly, given the fact that now there is a plan to regulate and come up with a framework to really control land rates and land value. A previous speaker talked about the frustrations that usually arise when county assemblies are allowed to make the laws almost independent of the National Assembly. This is not isolated to the land issue: it is also in other matters that touch on revenue collection. You would find that land that has the same characteristics in Kajiado and Kitui counties, the rates applicable are usually not uniform. You will also find that in Kitui County, for example, in areas which are a little bit more remote like Kyuso Town, compared to a town like Mwingi, the rates are more or less the same. I think this Bill will do a lot of justice. I also compare that with areas that have mineral resources. For example, you find that both Kajiado and Kitui counties have limestone but when the county assemblies enact the Finance Bill, you find a big discrepancy. For example, limestone in Kajiado County could cost Ksh50, but cost Ksh1,000 in Kitui County. So, the investors who come and want to invest in the value addition of limestone find it difficult to go for the limestone in Kitui County. The Bill will help us in harmonising that. The five years that have been proposed for re-evaluation extendable to two years are good because sometimes, the land would probably remain stagnant while everything is changing. Currently, prices of most commodities have gone up because of the recently passed Finance Bill. The cost of fuel has gone up and the Bill has introduced new taxation measures. That immediately triggers an increase in the prices of most commodities including land."
}