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{
    "id": 1457700,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1457700/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 150,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Chimera",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity to contribute to the Land (Amendment) Bill. May the record reflect that I rise in support of this Bill. This Bill is a fairly straightforward in so far as securing any proprietary interest in public land as concerned. For those of us who come from the Coastal counties, such as the Senators of Mombasa, Kwale, Lamu, Taita-Taveta County, Tana River and the likes know what it really means to be landless. The question of land ownership is a very thorny issue to many Kenyans, more so, for those of us who come from the coastal counties. The people of Kichaka Mkwaju in Lunga Lunga Constituency, Tiwi in Matuga Constituency, Kanana, Nikavu, Nzoani, Shimoni areas, and Gasi in Msambeni are currently are staring at a possible eviction because of being landless. It is just a question of unscrupulous absentee landlords who have come to the county and purported to have owned certain huge parcels of land and that acquisition process is not clear in law. I appreciate what the County is doing. They have stepped up efforts in making sure that these land issues are well addressed in court and through many other government agencies, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). I am happy to report that we have been able, as a county, to recover about 39 acres from Chale Island that was illegally allocated to unscrupulous land grabbers. I now hope that the community from Chale will be settled. Mr. Speaker, Sir, for avoidance of doubt and just to speak ahead of time, I will be proposing amendments to the Land Act in person on the question on foreign ownership of land. Article 65 of our supreme law, specifically forbids foreigners from owning land, yet, as a government, we speak about foreign investment. There can never be any investment without land being the pot of gold in so far as investing at the Coast is concerned. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the law, and this is also in Article 65(b) of the Constitution, provides that foreigners can only own land under the leasehold tenure of ownership. Not so many Kenyans own land as leasehold. There are very limited certificates of leases out there such that any foreigner who wishes to invest in land in the country is either forced to purchase land that is freehold, and as such, it becomes an illegality. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}