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{
    "id": 1401855,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1401855/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 628,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "an individual, review all grants or dispositions of public land to establish their propriety or legality. The amendment seeks to delete the words “within five years”. This time restriction has killed the NLC, as it is not constitutionally required. Many people residing at the Coast have lost hope because of this limitation. My amendment proposes a deletion of the time limit so that the NLC can receive, handle and determine as many cases as possible. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Bill further proposes to amend Section 14 (9) of the NLC Act by deleting which provides that the Commission may, where it considers it necessary, petition Parliament to extend the period for undertaking the review specified in sub-section (1). When the law lapsed, no institution came to this House to request for an extension. By deleting the words “within five years” subsequently, we must also delete Section 14 (9) of that law. Currently, the Commission receives a budget from this National Assembly. It has offices, but its work is impeded from addressing any complaints dealing with public land and providing redress even when there are evident and apparent cases of illegality in the disposition of public land because of time limitations. As we speak, NLC is a lame duck. It is a dog that cannot bite. It is an institution that does not help. There are so many cases that we have received, especially from the Coast, of public land that was stolen. The reason why there are so many squatters for whom this Government allocates a lot of money to buy land that should not have been bought is because we have killed the NLC. There is an array of hope for the many squatters that have been waiting for justice for many years. I invite Members of this House to seize this opportunity and liberate land at the Coast and allow all the squatters to find solace in this Parliament so that, for once, they will own land, develop, and have an opportunity to be like other Kenyans. Section 15(3A)(e) of the principal Act provides that a historical land claim may only be admitted, registered and processed by the Commission, if it is brought within five years of the commencement of this Act. This provision is hereby deleted by this Bill. I invite Members to join me in deleting this very oppressive part of the law so that we can give Kenyans an opportunity. Many people will say I am moving this Bill because of the people at the Coast. There are people in the Rift Valley, especially in Kericho, who are suffering because of this part. They want to petition NLC to get help, but they cannot because of this unconstitutional provision. This Bill further proposes to amend Section 15 of the NLC Act by deleting sub-section 11, which provides that the provisions of the section shall stand repealed within 10 years. This amendment will allow the Commission to continuously admit, register and process historical injustice claims, and handle disputes that have not been brought up within the limitation period uninterruptedly. I must say this in the House: There are many people out there who are afraid and peddling lies that my amendments will make NLC investigate private land. I want to put it on record in this House that: All that is private land was once public land. How it transitioned from public to private is what we want to know. Just that. Why are people so afraid? Why would you be afraid of this amendment? Historical land injustice hearings have been there, but they have not done any harm to anyone. The NLC has been hearing such cases, and no one has been targeted. Today, we bring this amendment, and people say we are targeting them. We are not targeting anyone. We want squatters in this country to have an opportunity to own land. People with historical claims, such as those who went to the Njonjo Commission or the Ndung'u Commission or other commissions, will have a reprieve and take their claims to NLC. They will be heard and a determination made. If you did not steal any public land, you will have your land. But if you stole public land and it had people on it, please give it up because it belongs to those people. Amendments to Section 15…"
}