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{
    "id": 814329,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/814329/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 290,
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for protecting me. That was a private conversation. They say you cannot substantiate the obvious. I support the Bill that is before us today, namely, the Land Value Index Laws (Amendment) Bill. This is a very important Bill for this country. The biggest resource that we have as a country is land. This issue of acquisition and compensation of land by the Government has been a big problem in this country. The issue of compensation has been run by cartels since this country’s economy started growing. The amount of money spent every budgetary cycle on compensating land that has been acquired by the Government for public good and use is so huge that it is almost a third of the project’s cost. This country has gone to the extent where tenderpreneurs get information that there is a certain huge project that will pass through a specific piece of land. They go ahead and acquire the same land so that they can be compensated in a big way. They are connected people who know which projects will be done in that area then they go, pay a very little amount of money to those peasants who are living near that project and they end up getting huge payments as compensation when the Government acquires the land for the project it intends to do. The amount of money that has been spent on compensating people who were living along the Standard Gauge Railway Corridor alone is so much that is has made that project look like it is one of the most expensive projects that have ever been undertaken in this country. When you look at the books properly, there is a large amount of money that has been spent on compensating people who have acquired land along that Corridor genuinely or through dubious means. If that kind of norm or behaviour is allowed to continue, it is very unlikely that this country will hit the 10-digit economic growth that they intend to achieve. In many developed countries, when their governments want to put in place huge infrastructural projects like the SGR for example, many of the people give land for free. In some countries, the Government acquires the land and you are given a small fee as compensation. In our country, it has become business. The best thing somebody can do or the “manna” that can come from heaven for someone is for a huge project to be developed on your land by the Government. Even if it is a wayleave or one pole of electricity passing through your land, you The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}