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"id": 223457,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Wamunyinyi",
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"legal_name": "Athanas Misiko Wafula Wamunyinyi",
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"content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion, which is very important. I would like to begin by congratulating the hon. Ochilo-Ayacko, who has brought this Motion to the House. We all have experienced problems in our respective areas related to the issue of land grabbing. Institutions, schools included, have lost land. This problem in ownership of land has been in existence for many years. It is now time the Government took action to ensure that the ownership of public land is regularised to ensure that institutions like schools own their land and have title deeds for the same. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is a case in point in my constituency. Sometime during the last Parliament, you remember some individuals took land which had been earmarked for Namachanja High School in Bungoma Town. They sub-divided the same and allocated it to themselves. It was a difficult case because when I fought to ensure that the school was built, I was arrested and locked up. But, eventually, we managed to secure the land and the school was built. Another recent case is the land set aside for Bungoma Medical Training College, and hon. Dr. Kibunguchy knows about this case. Officers of Government, including District Commissioners, Provincial Commissioners and some politicians in the past regime allocated themselves a total of 87 plots of the land earmarked for Bungoma MTC. You remember that recently I was arrested again and charged in a Mumias court. I have not stopped fighting against those who have grabbed land. I will continue the fight. I wish to appeal that we all join hands and urge this Government to ensure, upon our passing of this Motion, that public institutions' land, where it has not been 1038 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 2, 2007 surveyed and title deeds issued, it is surveyed and title deeds for it issued freely. There are some schools, for example, where parents have contributed towards the purchase of land. How else can the Government appreciate such effort by parents? Some poor parents have come up, contributed money and secured land for the schools. The Government has a responsibility to ensure that such schools are given title deeds to legally own that land. The Government has surveyors and land offices everywhere. Those surveyors should be used to survey school land in the country and ensure that all schools are given title deeds. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, so that school administrators and teachers are able to give quality education, sufficient land is required. To achieve this, we should support their efforts by making sure that if there is something we can do to expand facilities, particularly available land, we do it. In some cases, there is not even enough land for schools on which children can play football, engage in athletics and so on. These activities are very important in nurturing children. We need to ensure that if a school does not have sufficient land, we help the its community to secure enough land for it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that we want to move on to other Motions, and also that other hon. Members may want to contribute. I want to conclude by saying that I also strongly support this very important Motion. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}