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{
    "id": 153065,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/153065/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 322,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I support this Motion because it is important to take this country to the next level. The next level is where we will not be talking about squatters in the 21st century. We want a level where we can talk about our Vision 2030 and incorporating programmes that will not expend the national resources on the basic issues of land and settlement. In this context, we are not talking about the landless people. We are talking about squatters, people living on land that they do not own and they have no means of accessing opportunities of livelihoods to enhance their welfare and earn an income. Sometimes we talk about the landless as an equivalent of the poor. In this era, our focus is not solely on land. This is the message that should go to all Kenyans, that really, life is not just about land. One can earn a livelihood, an income and raise his household income and be prosperous by engaging in other enterprises such as economic engagements. Indeed, as we have seen in other countries, some that are deserts and some that are really small, but have raised their economies to huge levels, there is need to diversify our focus. Let us tell our people that we need land, but being landless is not equivalent to being poor. We can use education to achieve wealth. We can also create wealth in a country and fail to create jobs. For example, we may have created a lot of wealth in Kenya. Kenya is very rich. However, we have many people without any job engagements. The fact that in 2009, we have squatters in Kenya, is a shame. We are waiting for the Ministry of Lands to fast-track the passage of the land policy, because that will be a foundation on how we address some of our problems that cause imbalances on land utilization and usage. This Motion can also help us focus on land demarcation and how it can generate more food for domestic consumption and exports. We need an audit. There have been various programmes to help squatters as I have already said. We need an audit and a report of all the squatter settlement programmes that have been done in this country. It is true that in many instances, and this needs to be admitted, there have been beneficiaries of squatter settlement programmes who did not deserve to benefit. In the era of KANU, the politically-correct leaders, including Ministers and high level civil servants benefited from squatter settlement programmes. That is why I am saying we need to have an audit laid on the Table of the House."
}