Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 809418,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/809418/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 309,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David ole Sankok",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13166,
        "legal_name": "David Ole Sankok",
        "slug": "david-ole-sankok"
    },
    "content": "In the past, it has been very difficult even for the Government to develop this country in terms of infrastructure because of prices of land that are hiked when there is an intention of the Government to buy such land. This is a clear case of inflated land prices by a few cartels and individuals who want to benefit from proceeds of corruption. Let this be a precedent by this House that we will not condone at all issues of land grabbing and inflated prices for the benefit of a few individuals. I support the recommendations that are given by the Committee. The Committee has recommended in a very clear manner how to deal with these cartels. For a long time, on issues of land and corruption, we have pointed our fingers to the wrong persons, but this Committee has decided to pinpoint failures by Government officers and Government departments in terms of negligence or omission which need to be punished. In the past, we have pointed our fingers at the wrong individuals. I can take the example of a collapsed building where instead of pointing our fingers at the National Construction Authority (NCA) and the contractor; we point our fingers at the owner of the building who may not be a civil engineer or a specialist in construction, ending up scaring away investors from our country. The recommendations given by this Committee are direct on individuals who are culpable of this mistake, either by omission or commission. It is also funny to note that through the Economic Stimulus Programme, the Government has been allocating money to the same said land, whose title is not in the hands of the Government. This may just be a tip of the iceberg. We may have a lot of taxpayers’ money being invested in land that does not belong to the public. If we build a school on a land that does not belong to the Government but an individual, the individual may decide to turn that school into a hotel and there is nothing you can do if the land does not belong to the Government. From where I sit I see a very serious committee that did its research very well. We congratulate them and we want the House to support it so that we can set a precedent. We want the Committee to extend it scrutiny to all Government-owned land in terms of institutions of learning, ministries, departments and agencies so that we are sure that where Government is investing money, the money as well as the infrastructure sitting on the land are well secured, so that we do not end up with an issue like this of the Ruaraka school. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I thank you and do support this report."
}