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"id": 234318,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Khamisi",
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"speaker": {
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"legal_name": "Joseph Matano Khamisi",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, all Kenyans deserve to own land. We are all equal. We should be considered as equal citizens of this country. It is a shame that we should have individuals owning tens of thousands of acres of land, while other people go without any land. It is shameful that two or three families own a whole region in Taita- Taveta District, while there are thousands of indigenous people in that area who have no land whatsoever. We have a responsibility, as a people and a Government, to make sure that people, who are today suffering as a result of wrong policies, are settled. Somebody asked recently why pokot pastoralists should be squeezed into one small corner when their ancestral land in Trans Nzoia is owned by a handful of Kenyans. This is a very pertinent question. It is pertinent because it hurts a lot to see women and children being displaced from their homes, or their homes being torched to provide settlement land for other people, who are more privileged. I think, we have cases in places such as Kuresoi, Laikipia and other areas in this country that have had land clashes. This has all been as a result of lack of land. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Coast Province is a good example of the use of wrong policies in this country. A majority of people in this region live as squatters. In my constituency, right from Mtwapa, all the way to the end in Malindi, there are squatters. Mtwapa Town is a squatter settlement. Kilifi Town is a squatter settlement. The only people who benefit are the European farmers. If we cannot take into consideration the welfare of our people, then we have no business, either being in Government or being called civilised. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the land issue was a subject of our Independence struggle. The Mau Mau went to the forest to fight for land. Today, our freedom fighters are victims of these policies. It is shameful that every 12th, December, when we celebrate our Independence, we see these individuals complaining that they have been forgotten. Then what was the point of them fighting for Independence if they could not be considered even for mere settlement? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion is important and timely. It is important because it seeks to solve a very serious problem. Commissions have been established over the years but have brought nothing. They have brought no relief to the people of this country. I am happy about this Motion because it talks about genuine squatters. We have a habit of having professional squatters in this country. These are people who were given land in one area, settled for a little while and sold it. They then moved to a different area and declared themselves squatters. A way has to be found to know who is a genuine squatter. That squatter can then be properly settled! In fact, I will go further and say that all land and title deeds given out from now on should be in joint ownership with the Government. In this way, individuals will not take advantage of the situation to sell their pieces of land and declare themselves squatters. If we do this, we will ensure that those who do not have land have it and live in a dignified manner. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have heard of insecurity. Recently, there were very disturbing incidents in the November 15, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3667 heart of this city. The place we are talking about, Mathare, is congested and over-flowing with human beings. We need to find a solution to that problem. If we do not, this capital city will continually become inhabitable, and most of us will have to find other places to live in. There is no way we can live in a city that does not provide basic security. These people are not crying out of nothing! They are crying because they have been forgotten. Years ago, there was a saying by Mr. J.M. Kariuki that, this was a land of ten millionaires and ten million beggars. That situation has changed. We are now have 30 million people in this country, and you can literally count the rich people in it. We have people who are filthy rich! They have tens of thousands of acres of land. I do not understand why at this time and age, we allow people like the Delameras to own the vast expanses of land that they have in the Rift Valley Province. That land must be delivered to Kenyans. It must be delivered soon, otherwise we are going to live in a very unstable situation. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have talked about this for a long time. We have tens of thousands of people who are displaced for one reason or another. They are displaced from their homes. They have become squatters not because of their liking but because of our political and tribal situation. We need to find a solution. There is no reason why we should have displaced people in this country, people who are refugees in their own country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not want to take too much time. I know my colleagues would also like to contribute to this Motion. However, I want to add my very strong voice, that this Motion ought to be passed quickly and a Bill brought to this House, so that we pass it. It should then be assented to by the President, so that we can provide relief for the tens of thousands of Kenyans who are today living in misery. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}