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{
    "id": 603784,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/603784/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 224,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kihagi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2481,
        "legal_name": "John Karanja Kihagi",
        "slug": "john-karanja-kihagi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Physical Planning Bill. This Bill is envisaged to bring more order to the spatial growth of the country. To the extent that the Bill gives us a framework for development of the spatial plan for the country, it is very progressive. Our country has developed without any planning of the cities. We need to ensure that rural management does not continue to be the nightmare that it is today. All that you need to do when planning for a town is to decide how to sub-divide the land. The Bill provides for a clear framework on sub-division of land through the national spatial plan. The Bill provides for regional and inter-county plans. One county is not going to plan in isolation of the others. Issues of regional resources will be addressed by this Bill. The establishment of an institutional framework enables counties to sit and agree on how to handle inter-county issues that spread across counties. Planning is a devolved function. The national Government uses policies. The Bill shows us how to devolve those policies to especially address depreciation of agricultural land. It provides for sub division of agricultural land into sub-economic units. This will ensure that we address food security. The alternative dispute resolution mechanism in terms of land use and resource planning is provided for. As the Constitution says, not all our matters should end up in court. We should have a mechanism for arbitration of land issues at a lower level before taking them to the High Court. The establishment of the national and county physical liaison committees is a positive move in this respect. Our county has experienced accelerated physical development. Giving order to physical development ensures that physical development benefits the economy as opposed to foreclosing some of the benefits that our country should get, especially when El Nino and flooding becomes a nightmare in this country. Fundamentally, this Bill enables us to put in place a framework to ensure that the National Land Commission (NLC) undertakes its mandate of overseeing land use planning as envisaged in the Constitution. There are complaints that some of the Bills before this House are unconstitutional and retrogressive since they tie the hands of the NLC. We believe that the NLC will be enabled to oversee physical planning and land use in this country. As a Member of the Departmental Committee on Lands, let me confirm that we have proposed a number of amendments to this Bill. We believe that the amendments will enrich this Bill during the Committee of the whole House stage. With those remarks, I support the Bill."
}