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{
    "id": 585490,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/585490/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 253,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Kanyua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 981,
        "legal_name": "Priscilla Nyokabi Kanyua",
        "slug": "priscilla-nyokabi-kanyua"
    },
    "content": "for an individual title. But when the Community Land Bill comes, there will be an opportunity to look at the possibility of giving those areas a community land title. With that community land title, development can proceed and many other options on land can be taken by those groups. The House will have an opportunity very soon to debate the Community Land Bill. The other law, which I have not seen on the list, and we will be asking the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Lands when they propose to bring it, is the law on evictions. If you look at this Report, you will see painful stories by the squatters on the evictions that they have suffered including death and loss of property. Our country continues to suffer inhumane evictions which are not allowed in the 21st Century. The country needs an eviction law. Even where squatters are on the wrong piece of land, the eviction should be humane, guided by notice, come after the court order and should not be violent. The police for heaven’s sake, should stop beating our squatters and shooting them. The Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Lands owes this House a law on evictions to guide humane evictions because increasingly, we are going to have squatters who are settled on the wrong piece of land, sometimes private land or public land. The evictions that should follow from that wrongful occupation should be humane. Let me end with the point that the Member for Kericho County raised with regard to compensation of the title owners of land where squatters have settled. I would support that move. If we have 5,000 squatters on a piece of land and one title holder, the sensible thing is for the Government to acquire that piece of land and give it to the squatters. Pay the title holder the compulsory acquisition amount that would accrue from that process and let the title holder go and buy another piece of land. Some of the squatters have their relatives buried on the pieces of land where they occupy. Removing them from those pieces of land causes a lot of inhumanity, injustice and pain. The reasonable thing to do would be to buy the piece of land where the squatters are settled, give the title holder the amount of money and allow the squatters to live where they are. For many people who are holding land for speculation, a time has come to tax any land that is not used. All land held for speculative purposes should be taxed so that we do not have people who keep vacant land while many Kenyans are seeking where to settle. I support the Report and again congratulate the Committee. Thank you."
}