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"id": 188747,
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"speaker_name": "Mrs. Shebesh",
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"legal_name": "Rachel Wambui Shebesh",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Vote. I want to start by congratulating the Minister. In my list of Ministers's performance, he ranks number one, because his record is already showing for itself. He is also committed to his work. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to bring to the fore some of the issues affecting us, as women, and also as residents of Nairobi. I will start with the issue of women as related to this country's land policy. I would like to beseech the Minister, who has also been involved for so many years in civil society activities and issues of women. Now that he is sitting in a position of implementing Government land policies, to look into the issue of women and land. You also know, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the problems we have as women of this country. It is amazing that in this day and age, owning land as a woman is still something which is not straightforward. It is not as easy as exchanging money for land. It is not that easy. I do not even have to go into the history of it because, as I have said, he is well aware of it. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the stumbling block has always been the land policy in this country. I do know that there is a reform agenda in this Ministry, and I am hoping that in that reform agenda, the issue of gender, and women in particular, will be given priority. We can all leave a legacy in the work that we do. I want this Minister to leave a legacy of land reform in this country that women, young people and generally Kenyans will be proud of. We want to demystify the issue of land. Land should never bring violence in our country. Land should never bring feelings of marginalization in a country. The issue of land reform for me is key, even if it takes him five or so years. I hope that he will not be transferred to another Ministry. I wish that the land reform process that has already begun will become the legacy for the Minister and his officers. We know that once we tackle the issue of land reform, we will have tackled the issue of marginalization, and will have even tackled the issue of squatters and the problems of land use, so that our agricultural society starts becoming proud of itself once again. I just want to emphasize that if this Ministry could concentrate on collecting revenue, land July 22, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1981 rates and land rent, they would have enough money to implement the land reform. I know that sometimes Ministries are let down by Treasury by not being given enough funds to do what they want. I am urging them to put in place strict measures just like the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has done in collection of taxes. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Ministry must effect strict measures to collect money, especially from people who hold large tracts of land and keep it idle while other Kenyans are suffering. Those people must pay. I believe in the sanctity of title deeds, but leaving land fallow for years while Kenyans do not have enough land--- That person must pay heavily for keeping land without utilizing it. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, that brings me to land in Nairobi. I have been a resident of Nairobi since I was born, and I have never understood the land allocation letters that have become a nightmare. You might be very proud as a Nairobian to be given an allotment letter from the City Council of Nairobi (CCN) but soon you wonder what it is. You will soon realise that three people have the same letter, and when you try to put up anything in that particular area for which you have been given a letter of allotment you find yourself in a lot of problems. People will come up and claim the land. You will not even be comfortable. If you go around Nairobi you will find many Xs on buildings. We People in Nairobi are wondering what the Xs mean. You will find that a school that was put up by somebody for an informal school in the heart of Kariobangi has a big Xs on it. What is the Government telling us? Does it mean that, that person made a mistake yet, he has a letter of allotment? Why must that particular person be penalised and not the giver of the allotment letter? That is where we find ourselves as Nairobians. On issues of land, the acts of the CCN are almost criminal and it is not a secret. So, the Ministry of Lands must take over the responsibility that it has given to the local authorities, because, unfortunately, they are not run by professionals. They are run by politicians in the name of councillors. I have total respect for councillors but when it comes to the issue of land, I am a bit hesitant to leave it in their hands. Could the Ministry of Lands look into that issue of reclaiming any allocation or selling of any land in this country, including that which is supposed to be under the CCN? Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also want to speak about land allocated to institutions that add value in our society. I am talking about schools and churches. In Nairobi we have very many small churches. They include ADCs, PAGs, the Redeemed Church and so on. That is where Nairobians go to pray. Go to any of those big churches like the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) and the Catholic Church, and you will never find them full. Nairobians went back to small churches where they felt more comfortable. These small churches are always being chased from where they are. Today they are in one place and when worshippers come next day, the mabati structure is down and they have to go to some other place. Madam Temmporary Deputy Speaker, I do know that the mainstream churches are allocated land whenever there is development coming up. You will find that mainstream churches will be given sufficient land to put up a church. You will find that some schools will be allocated some land, but they cannot even be able deal with the population of that area. What am I saying? I am saying that where we have social issues that benefit our community like playgrounds- In Nairobi we do not have playgrounds because land was grabbed. You heard one hon. Member call it \" grabiosis\" . I think that disease is more prevalent in Nairobi. There are no playgrounds for children. We ask why children are literally going up in arms and running mad. That is because they do not have recreational facilities. All this boils down to allocation of land. So, the issue of land reforms, again I say, must be given priority. Let us not try to come up with new issues. Let us first solve the problems that have been created through mismanagement of the land policy in this country for many years. 1982 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 22, 2008 Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also want to talk about demolitions. There are a lot of demolitions going on around in Nairobi in the name of court orders. Those are terms that put a lot of fear in investors in Nairobi. You want to put up a property where you have been allocated land and have a letter of allotment, but as you are just about to complete your structure and have spent Kshs10 million on, somebody comes with a court order and a bulldozer will come. That will be displayed on the television as if it is something to be proud of. I do not think so; many Kenyans are losing hope of putting up property in this country and investors are worried that they could put up a building and tomorrow a bulldozer comes with a court order and brings it down. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, let me finish by saying that the slum upgrading project is a noble idea, but which we know will probably take 20 to 30 years to start making any real impact in the slums in Nairobi. The slums in Nairobi are huge and there are very many of them. In fact, everyday a new slum comes up. I know the Minister is very sincere about reclaiming land that has been idle and which has been going to waste; so I want to consider the women organizations in Nairobi. These are women who have been working tirelessly to put up any kind of structure. These women are willing to put up houses for themselves, because they have gone into business; they have formed groups and are raising money. I have evidence of these groups and I know you know that they exist. If they were given land, the women in Nairobi, who live in the slums, would get themselves out of the slums. But because land is something that you cannot talk about in Nairobi, women give up and say that they will live in slums forever. I do not think that, that has to happen if the Minister and his Ministry are willing to work with the groups of women and the young people, who are already setting examples by putting up temporary structures, because the land they have is not theirs permanently. If they were given land to own, they would help the Government to implement the slum upgrading programme by coming up with new structures; they would get people to move out of slums and even be proud because they would have put up houses for themselves and the Government would just have facilitated them by providing them with land. With those few remarks, I support."
}