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{
    "id": 712532,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/712532/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 535,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wamunyinyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 291,
        "legal_name": "Athanas Misiko Wafula Wamunyinyi",
        "slug": "athanas-wamunyinyi"
    },
    "content": "She is representing the entire side. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to make my contribution on this important Bill. Clearly, the objective and purpose of this Bill has been explained. This Bill seeks to amend three main laws related to land, namely, the Land Act, the Land Registration Act and the Prevention, Protection and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons and Affected Communities Act. The great thing, which my colleague, daktari, emphasised is the fact that the Bill seeks to standardise valuations of land in all parts of the country. This is particularly in the area of land rates, Stamp Duty and compensation for compulsory acquisition. With regard to land rates in Nairobi, other cities, municipalities and towns in our places, they have been charging whatever they wish. The leadership decides any amount of charge which they impose on land owners. It is a great thing that this is now being standardised. Therefore, for specific areas and parts of Kenya, a certain land rate is provided to be charged to land owners. This is one of the greatest benefits that this law is going to confer to the people. We have had people buying land for speculative purposes. We have had land in strategic places being owned for purely speculative reasons. With the enactment of this law, standardisation of rates and valuations will be clear. This will defeat those disgruntled and unscrupulous land speculators. You will recall that recently, in the effort to construct the SGR, many Kenyans along the railway line were seeking compensation. Some people had even acquired the land illegally through land grabbing. When it came to the construction of the SGR, they sought compensation, which cost us a lot of money. People who had grabbed land gave it out for huge amounts of money to a tune of about Kshs8 billion. This law will help us to address these issues. There should be infrastructural development for roads for us to achieve the Kenya Vision 2030. Traffic jam is not only common in Nairobi, but it is now the order of the day in Bungoma. Bypasses should be constructed. There is need for people to sacrifice their land so that roads are constructed to ease congestion. There will be deliberate efforts to acquire land for infrastructural development particularly for bypasses to open up roads and to expand existing roads to enable us to reduce the perennial traffic jams in most parts of the country. It will be beneficial to us if standard land rates are set out in our laws with clear guidelines and regulations on how to arrive at compensation. This will reduce litigation in courts because of land acquisition. Nairobi City is the face of Kenya, but it is facing a lot of challenges, which if not addressed, we may not achieve the envisaged Vision 2030. The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is facing a lot of challenges in terms of land that is meant for its expansion and the construction of a new runaway. You will recall that the contract for the construction of a new runaway was terminated by the Government because people had moved on the airport land. They will not be forced out because as things stand, they are the legal owners of the land. They have 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."
}