{"id":584608,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/584608/?format=json","text_counter":227,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when resettlement began in this country, there was a guiding principle that you could settle anywhere in Kenya. It was okay and even our Constitution currently provides that any citizen can settle anywhere. The same Constitution also provides that any historical injustice must also be addressed. Therefore, there must be a balance where the original person who was displaced and became an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) has not been compensated or settled, and then there should be due compensation. We have tried to run away from that and whenever communities have tried to raise this issue, they are considered to be tribalists and so forth. As long as we do not address this issue, that matter will not rest. In Trans Nzoia, there are so many settlement schemes which were issued and the people were settled from all over Kenya, and I can say today, Trans Nzoia is multi-ethnic and we have no problem with that. The problem is that the indigenous communities were never considered even for one settlement scheme up to today. The only one which was considered recently called Kitalale Farm, the settlers were given two-and-a-half acres, and for almost 20 years now, even a title deed for those two-and-a-half acres has never been given. Chebyuk Settlement Scheme is another one where you will recall the communities clashed because of landlessness. The Sabaot Community was totally rendered landless and it has remained landless as a community. Unless something is done, and we hope that through this proposed Bill, the issue of landlessness will be addressed. The Masaai also have their grievances. Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o has raised the issue and he was thinking that Masaais have never raised it, whereas the Masaai have always raised that issue but nobody has ever listened to them. It is high time that this matter was addressed. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have recently seen positive steps to address people who had been displaced during the last clashes. As we address those issues, we should remember that since 1895, there are original IDPs who were displaced and the families are still landless. If we are to seriously address the issue of IDPs, let us start from the IDPs of 1895. These are documented. The Katalan Commission during the colonial time did agree that certain communities were displaced. The Sabaots were displaced from their land and were virtually declared in that commission that they are a dying race. Some races were deemed to have disappeared to give excuse for the Europeans to take their land. But I can confirm today that the Sabaot or the Elgon Masaai are still alive and kicking and demanding their land. Unfortunately, the British Government never compensated them. The Government of Kenya, since it took the responsibility, should ensure that they are compensated for the loss at the current market rates. There are also other settlement schemes that were supposed to settle indigenous people. We have a place like Teldet which was community land, but because of further marginalization of the people, the Government as recently as 2012, just before elections, evicted the people and their land was gazetted as forest land through political machinations to deprive the people of settlement and the right to vote in the specific area where they live. There is a case of Kabolet Forest where the Sengwer are settled. The land has never been finalized in terms of adjudication and titles issued. I believe these are the historical injustices that the National Lands Commission can easily address but I want once more to thank the Senator for Makueni for bringing up this Motion. I would request The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."}