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"speaker_name": "Mr. Letimalo",
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"legal_name": "Raphael Lakalei Letimalo",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, however, I want to register my concerns with the Minister on the breakdown of district allocations. He is still treating Samburu as one district, whereas it has been split into three. There is Samburu Central, Samburu East, and Samburu North districts. I thought they should have been treated just like the other districts like Murang'a North, Murang'a South and Nyandarua South because they were created at the same time. There must be good reasons as to why the Government had to create the new districts; it was for purpose of bringing services closer to the people. This is one of the reasons why we believe that those of us who come from these districts are really marginalized. The kind of hardship that we experience is such that if you are allocated a commercial plot, it will actually take you long to get a technical officer to come and identify it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important, now that the new district has been created, that the Minister considers posting a Lands Officer so that he would be able to co-ordinate land matters in that district. I just want to raise a few concerns. Now that we have new districts that have been created, it is important the Ministry organises proper planning to ensure that land is set aside for departmental offices, residential quarters and even other investments that may be required in the new districts. This will ensure that they plan and maintain their structures because you know there is a tendency of land owners to construct structures so as to lease them to the Government as offices or even to rent them out as the new Government officers are posted to the new districts. So, I want to plead with the Ministry that the new districts are planned to ensure that there is room for expansion in future. I want to say something about Samburu East District where land is still communally owned and this one by itself has really affected the development progress in the area. While we do appreciate that land in Samburu is semi-arid and the majority of the habitants are pastoralists who entirely depend on livestock rearing as their main economic activity, we should not forget that amongst them, there are some enterprising people who should be registered either in group ranches or individual land ownership. These enterprising people will be able to set examples to the others in the way that they develop their land. It is also important to note that these livestock traders hardly have access to credit facilities particularly to the commercial banks and even other Financial institutions, for the simple reason that they do not have securities considering that in the Kenyan context, a title deed is what is considered as security. Those people without title deeds do not get access to bank loans and, therefore, they are not able to carry out their major businesses or to develop in one way or the other. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in my constituency, Samburu East, community-based conservancy is really a new concept that is gaining popularity on the usage of land. This is because these people have co-existed with wildlife and, therefore, the creation of these conservancies has created employment for the people and also offered security. I would also appeal to the Minister to ensure that these community-based conservancies are July 22, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1995 registered in the names of their communities. This will ensure that the communities are not exploited because we know that there are some outsiders who have formed some kind of associations with the local people to create these conservancies. So, it is important that the conservancies are registered in the names of the communities and those ones who own the conservancies so that they may not be exploited as well as minimising chances of grabbing of the said land under conservancies. Lastly, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important to note that we have got people who own land in Laikipia West. But those people have been displaced because of conflicts associated with cattle rustling. People have got their own cultural behaviours. Some of them do not like to go and camp at some places, as the case with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), but they had better seek refuge amongst their relatives. But still, they are displaced. It will be important that, as the Government embarks on that resettlement exercise, the people who have sought refuge amongst their relatives also be considered in the resettlement programme. With those few remarks, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}