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"id": 193840,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. C. Kilonzo",
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"legal_name": "Charles Mutavi Kilonzo",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. First of all, I would like to seek your guidance because my request for Ministerial Statements touches on three Ministries. So, with your permission, I would wish to direct my request to the Office of the Prime Minister. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, currently, the country is experiencing all signs of a looming drought and famine. Most parts of this country which rely on the School Feeding Programmes June 10, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1105 (SFP) are threatened. Last month, the World Food Programme (WFP), which has been the main financier of the SFP in the country, has said that it will cut down its expenditure by 50 per cent because it does not have sufficient funds. So, I would want to know what plans the Government has to ensure that school-going children do not go without food in school, and that they will not drop out from schools. HIKING OF FEES ON LAND TRANSACTIONS Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my next Ministerial Statement is directed to the Ministry of Lands. Last month, the Minister for Lands directed that the cost of all searches be increased from Kshs100 to Kshs2,500 for an official search and from Kshs250 to Kshs3,500 for personal searches. That cost is out of the reach of an ordinary Kenyan. A sum of Kshs3,500 is more than the salary earned by people who work in the rural areas. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have Land Dispute Tribunals at the constituency level. We also have the District Land Control Boards all over the country. Those two bodies were created by the Government because most people cannot afford to seek justice from the normal court procedure. In the proceedings of the District Land Control Boards and the Land Dispute Tribunals, searches are required where the ownership of the land in dispute is registered. So, in essence, we are saying that if a poor fellow in the village does not have Kshs2,500 he will not know the status of his title. Apart from that, this directive is going to, obviously, encourage corruption in the Ministry. So, I would want to know why the Minister found it necessary to increase the cost of searches to such very high and unreasonable rates. Secondly, I would like to know whether the Minister consulted the stakeholders in that particular field. Originally, it would take an average of two to three days to get an official search. Currently, it will take you not less than two weeks to get a search. I want to know why the Minister has decided that it should take longer to get that information. Why should it take two weeks? Finally, most importantly, could the Government re-consider this decision, consult all the stakeholders and agree on reasonable rates?"
}