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{
    "id": 1545252,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1545252/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 37,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Part (b) of the Question is why the Government has not paid out compensation to PAPs years after the project commencement and timelines for completion of the project. I respond that the delay in land compensation has been occasioned majorly by lack of budget. This has resulted to several litigation cases in court by the aggrieved PAPs, which has further delayed the process. In order to complete the land compensation process, the management of the NIA has engaged the National Land Commission (NLC) for guidance on how to proceed with the exercise. This resulted in NLC visiting the irrigation scheme and a subsequent engagement with the PAPs between 18th to 22nd November, 2024. On 5th February, 2025 the Commission gave guidance on the process for finalization of compensation for the project. In its communication, the Commission gave the following guideline- (1) That immediate payment of the available compensation fund amounting to Kshs68 million. (2) That wayleave land acquisition for all title holders and PAPs, who formally declined offers issued by the Authority be addressed by the Commission. (3) That the Authority established a grievance resolution mechanism involving key stakeholders, which are National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO), NIA, NLC, Scheme Leadership and PAPs. (4) The Authority in liaison with the Commission to plan for final survey and vesting all the titles acquired in order to secure its interest. On 11th February, the Authority formed a team to spearhead the compensation payment and the committee has come up with the following payment program for the Kshs68 million- The programme is to verify PAPs by mid-March and make first payment because PAPs are allowed to be heard, especially on land matters in case of any grievances. Then by 15th June, the last part of payment will be made and the total will be Kshs68 million. On part (c) of the Question, I am required to explain the delay in completion of the project. The delay in completion of the project is due to budgetary challenges. There has been low budgetary allocation for land compensation in irrigation infrastructure development leading to slow progress in implementation. The Ministry has continued to engage other development partners for other sources of funding to support infrastructure development. Currently, engagement with Dutch partners is ongoing although they have been non-committal. The second reason for delaying completion of the project is the land valuation disputes. Determining the value of land and property affected by the project has proven to be a complex process. Disagreements between the Government and landowners over valuation of land and other infrastructure resulted in significant delays. There are approximately 50 disputes currently being addressed by the grievance redress committee. The last is the legal challenges. Landowners filed around 25 legal suits against the Government concerning compensation cases, land acquisition matters and other related matters. These have had a substantial delay in the compensation process as this has led to extended periods to resolving courts. 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."
}