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{
    "id": 834484,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/834484/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 225,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Westlands, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Tim Wanyonyi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 3036,
        "legal_name": "Timothy Wanyonyi Wetangula",
        "slug": "timothy-wanyonyi-wetangula"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me a chance to contribute to this Report. The problem we have in this country is to do with land management systems. This mess was brought about by the colonial government. Succeeding governments have not succeeded in solving this problem. An example are the communities that reside in urban areas like Kibera and other informal settlements. I have a case in mind of a community residing in a village called Kibagare in my constituency, who are being hounded out of their land because the management systems do not recognise ownership by the poor. Poor people are just grouped together and never allowed to own the land on which they reside. This has brought a lot of mess and confusion. We sometimes see people being evicted in ways that are not humane. We must find a way of dealing with land ownership issues. We need to review our land tenure system. We find this to be a recurring problem especially in urban areas. The other thing is how to use land economically. You will find land sub-divided in very small uneconomical pieces that do not add value. The Indian Government has a system where they move people to urban areas called ‘model towns’ and then improve the size of land, which is cultivated in large-scale using the cooperative system or large company system, which are mostly owned by cooperative societies. Food production improves. India is one of the countries that have the highest population in the world, but we do not hear of Indians starving yet countries like ours, which have very small populations, have challenges with food security. So, if land is well managed and properly utilised, communities and countries will benefit in their economic operations. When it is not well done, there is a lot of wastage and people do not benefit. The other thing is that there is always conflict between communities. Some communities are very aggressive on land. The Government, especially during election times, sometimes promises communities that it will settle them on land that is not properly theirs. We forget about it after elections. This is something we must address and find a lasting solution. Lastly, the NLC is an ‘animal’ that we created in our Constitution yet it is not helping much. In fact, they are creating more problems than solving the existing problems. The NLC was expected to initiate a system to properly manage the land management systems. That has not been the case. Instead, we now find more grabbers. People are speculating and taking ownership of land whose leases have expired especially in Nairobi. They try to sell such land at exorbitant prices. This has brought a lot of tension. People are sometimes robbed of their property. They are not even given a chance to renew their leases. Therefore, we must find a way of improving the land management systems in our country. Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion."
}