Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 632236,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/632236/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 259,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Onyonka",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 128,
        "legal_name": "Richard Momoima Onyonka",
        "slug": "richard-onyonka"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, my colleagues have been debating this matter. The land question is an important matter to all Kenyans and has been a very emotive issue. We have to be very careful what to do with this Bill. The truth and the reality is that this Bill has very interesting proposals. It proposes to amend the NLC Act. The amendment is meant to eliminate duplication of the institution at the county level and to provide the manner in which NLC shall undertake investigations into historical land injustice complaints pursuant to Article 67 of the Constitution. The Bill also seeks to limit the mandate of NLC to the management of public land on behalf of the national and county governments, limit the policy-making powers of NLC and limit the powers of the Commission regarding allocation of public land. The Bill also proposes to establish a board of trustees to manage the settlement scheme funds. It also proposes the mode of prescribing minimum and maximum private land holding acreages. The truth is that this Bill is trying to emasculate the capacity and capability of the NLC, so that it just becomes another office. There is going to be a board appointed by the Public Service Commission (PSC). You know who appoints members of the PSC. If the PSC is going to be the one appointing members of a board which is supposed to be a constitutional commission, which should be vetted by this Parliament, then that is wrong. This is going to be a very hot issue for us. We are not going back to the bad old days where recommendations about land were made by the Head of State. In that case, it is the Cabinet Secretary who is going to make a recommendation on who gets land or does not. The Land Registrar will have executive powers and will override the decisions of the NLC. The critical reason why the drafters of the Constitution brought up the NLC was because we need an independent and neutral body to sort out the outstanding land issues. If we do not do this, we will never sort out land issues in Kenya. Documentation of land in Kenya has been a problem. Why? This is because there are certain vested interests in individuals or brokers who own large tracts of land. These people take land from individuals who have owned it historically or after purchasing the land. Most pieces of the land in Kisii County, for example, have two to three title deeds. Land brokers take somebody’s land with impunity. These people have learnt to rush to court where the court will rule that the status quo be maintained. When somebody has rushed to court saying that you, the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}