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{
"id": 1339781,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1339781/?format=api",
"text_counter": 74,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Lamu County, Independent",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Muthoni Marubu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Two very serious issues have jeopardised this very promising future of our county. One is ineffective land management, and two is the recurrent cases of insecurity. I would like to delve a little into the history of Lamu to put perspective into my argument. Traditionally, before the invasion of the Arabs, Lamu was managed under the African traditional customary land tenure system. There was no need for land adjudication, mapping, or titles. The community engaged in rotational subsistence farming and lived in Swahili villages. In the pre-colonial era, Lamu was colonised by the Arabs under the Sultanate of Zanzibar. When the Sultan came with his people, the rights of the people of Lamu ceased to exist. They did not have the right to own land and they were subjects of the Sultan. After the post-colonial era, the land went under the Crown. Again, the rights of the people of Lamu were neglected and they were made to be squatters on their land. After colonisation, the Jomo Kenyatta Government negotiated terms with the Sultan and the colonial masters and again, the Lamu people remained squatters on their land. In a Gazette Notice of 21st October 1983, under Kenya Gazette No.4058, all inhabited land was declared Government land. In Lamu East Islands, Kyunga, Kiwayu and Boni forest, among other areas, the Government has continued to disfavour our people by displacing them from their ancestral land in favour of environmental conservation without relocating them or giving them any alternative land. After the promulgation of the new Constitution, the responsibility to help the indigenous people of Lamu acquire land was given to the county council. During this time, all land, particularly in Lamu East, was sub-divided into private ranches. All this while, nobody has ever cared about the indigenous people of Lamu. Only those in power and the elites have continued to take all the land and neglect the people of Lamu. Whenever I introduce myself as a Member of Parliament for Lamu, people say: “Muthoni, why and what are you doing in Lamu?” It is deemed that Muthonis are not supposed to be in Lamu. I was elected alongside 11 other Members of Parliament on an independent ticket, like Hon. Rahim of North Imenti, in a predominantly Meru community and Christian constituency, and Hon. Shakeel Shabbir of Kisumu East. This constituency is predominantly of the Luo community and Christian. My Colleagues are Kenyans of Indian origin and of Islam faith. Nobody questions what they are doing in Kisumu and Meru, respectively. I often ask myself: Is it the case of the animal farm where all animals are equal and others are more equal or is the conspiracy perfect for Muthoni? In an ideal country, nobody should question what religion or tribe I come from, but my identity has been questioned. I have sought to understand why I do not have the right to become like you or like Hon. Junet, Hon. Rahim or any other Member that I can represent my county or constituency without being put into question. The original idea to have the Kikuyus settled in Lamu was born from a report by the then Director for Agriculture, Lord Swynnerton, in 1954, where the colonial government intended to improve agriculture in the country. They had resolved to put up a settlement scheme. I have mentioned that I am a student of history. During this time, the colonial masters decided that they should not return the Mau detainees from Lamu and Manda Island to where they came from but put them in Lamu so that they do not disturb the government or the colonial masters and their interests as they got back into the country. Additionally, Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I have mentioned, I am a history student and understand that, as the injustices were happening in Lamu, they were also happening across the country. The people where my ancestors come from were also dealt with the same fate where their ancestral lands were taken by the colonial master and later by individuals who happen to be in Government. Those people were landless the same way my people of Lamu have continued to be landless. 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."
}