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{
"id": 1494190,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1494190/?format=api",
"text_counter": 627,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Buuri, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. As articulated by our Chairman, matters of land in our country are very emotive. We have had many challenges in the management of land in this country. We have so much land and yet, many conflicts are associated with it. This Bill addresses matters of land arbitration. Land control boards are very essential for land matters in the village. I am glad that those boards are being given an opportunity to investigate certain matters relating to land. My constituency is among the three rural constituencies with a large number of slums. We have slums in Timau Town in an area called Machaka. We also have areas that require land adjudication, where people are given numbers and allotment letters. They now need to be given title deeds. The transfer or consolidation of those parcels of land can create a lot of discontent among the people who want to inherit that land. I am aware that many conflicts arise because of land inheritance. We have seen situations where widows are disadvantaged when it comes to land matters, particularly in the transfer of land. We have seen orphans being mistreated and, sometimes, those matters are not handled properly. If I am able to go to court and present my matter, I carry the day. Currently, I know of three families who are fighting for their small pieces of land, but there is nobody with the power to deal with the matter on their behalf. Hon. Temporary Speaker, this Bill has come at the right time because, as other Members have said, those boards have the power to investigate a matter when it goes to court. The boards are constituted of people of independent minds and various professions. We need to support this Bill. As other Members have said, there is a lot of public land. Who protects that land? That is the biggest question. I know of an area where the cemetery land has been grabbed in my constituency. That is how bad land matters are. It is not just where we come from; it is all over the country. Why is that the case? It is because there are no proper records. I know of a school in my constituency called Sirimon Mixed Day Secondary School, where six title deeds were issued for the school land. I know of a lady who has been told to move out of the land she has occupied since 1986. I know of a church in my constituency, the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA), whose land has been grabbed. If we have land control boards that are empowered by the law, we will be able to safeguard the rightful ownership of those lands. I am very concerned about land inheritance. On many occasions, when one takes their case to the land control boards, they can manipulate the outcome. Now that you can just walk into the Survey of Kenya or the land registries in many counties, you can manufacture your own title deed, the deed plan, or even the map of the area. When those matters are presented to a land control board with the mandate to investigate, arbitrate, and recommend prosecutorial actions, we all need to support this Bill. There are many slums in my constituency, including Riverside, Kailili, Kwa Joshua and Machaka. Many of those disputes cannot be handled by the courts. This is because there are slums where the home sizes are 30 metres by 40 metres or 40 metres by 50 metres. Those people have lived together for a long time. A capable person like Rindikiri will go there and say that, that land belongs to them. Who is supposed to investigate that? Who will arbitrate on that? In many cases, they go to the chiefs or the local deputy county commissioner (DCC). However, the local DCC is most likely unaware or has no information about that land. I believe a land control board with the power to investigate and make recommendations is the way to go. I support this Bill. This is the way to go. Land is becoming scarce in this country. The scarcer the land becomes, the more the cases require a lot of investigation, adjudication, arbitration and dispute resolution. I urge Members to support this very important Bill and implement it as soon as possible. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. 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."
}