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"content": "However, when the colonialists left, it was ensured that no land would be given to the Africans for free. Those who worked for the colonialists were expected to buy that land. But few genuine poor Africans who worked as cooks and watchmen were left on those lands. Eventually, those lands were taken over by those who were able and those who were well connected in the Government at Independence. That was the genesis of squattership in this country and yet, at Independence, nothing was done to address it. When you look at the squattership that was created, there was that which was created by the colonialists. That was the first category of squatters. But there is also another type of squatters who were created through the tribal clashes in 1992, 1997 and 2007. Those people that we call the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are squatters. Just like the Africans who were displaced by the colonialists, there are Kenyans who were displaced from their lands. To date, there are farms in this country that owners have not been able to go back to. It is a sorry state of affairs. There is also a third category of squatters who were displaced from forests. From 1987, there were people who were removed from forests like Timboroa, Embobut, Cherangany, Aberdares and others. Those people are also squatters living on rural access roads and road reserves. The other type of squatters are those that were created by land grabbers. Those are the people who have come up with fake title deeds and displaced people from their homes. They have created that new type of squatters. There are also urban squatters. In places like Mathare, Kibera and other parts of this country, there are urban squatters that have been created through the years. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, indeed, after Independence in 1965, the founding fathers of our nation laid down a foundation on which we stand today as a nation. Through Sessional Paper No.10 of 1965, it is the first time that there was an attempt to address the issue of squatters. Indeed, Article 102 of the Sessional Paper No.10 of 1965, our founding fathers said the following in respect of the issue of squattership:- âIt should be established that priority in future should be given to producer co- operatives formed by people such as workers and squatters already on or employed on the land. Such priority could be enforced by having credit facilities made available to such groups against individuals wishing to buy the landâ."
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