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"id": 979093,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/979093/?format=api",
"text_counter": 299,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Wilberforce Oundo",
"speaker": {
"id": 13331,
"legal_name": "Wilberforce Ojiambo Oundo",
"slug": "wilberforce-ojiambo-oundo-2"
},
"content": "So, the Agricultural Settlement Fund was created - and I am reliably informed by history - by funds that were given by the British Government to have a smooth transition from the colonial government to independent Kenya. It did wonders for all those years. So many settlement schemes all over the country were acquired through the Agricultural Settlement Fund. Of course, it had trustees and over the years, it has metamorphosed through various forms. Imagine, it had collapsed in the early 1990s only to learn that the collapse could have been man made when the computer that contained documents crashed. It is unbelievable that there was no manual backup. So, obviously, any able minded or reasonable minded Kenyan will read a sinister motive in the collapse and crash that literally wiped out all the data, but we must hail the initial one for the wonderful job it has done. If you visit Bungoma, Trans-Nzoia, Nakuru and all over the country, you will find settlement schemes that were bought by funds raised by the Government through the Consolidated Fund and donors towards settling the landless Kenyans at the onset of Independence. Let us move forward and generally deal with this matter following the clashes that occurred after the 2007 General Elections. Indeed, for some years since the introduction of multiparty, either by design or coincidence, we had so many clashes all over the country, namely, the Molo clashes along the border between Kisumu and Kericho and the border between Kisumu and Nandi that displaced a large number of Kenyans who had nowhere to go. Of course, most of them lived along the road in deplorable conditions. Somewhere along the line, it was decided that they needed to settle the IDPs and squatters. Unfortunately, if there is any program that has been badly managed and that became a cash cow, it was the resettling of IDPs. It is documented everywhere that people in the Government - technocrats - literally abused this process and took land to enrich themselves and stole the money. The Report is fairly telling and I must commend the Committee for being bold enough to say it as it is. Many occasions in committees, at times we sugarcoat issues and downplay issues. I am happy they have picked it out. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, allow me to mention two issues. First, if you give someone a piece of land, it is of no use to him unless it has a title deed. Indeed, since 2012, it has taken inordinately too long to prepare and give these squatters or IDPs titles to the land. Section 26 of the Land Registrations Act is explicitly clear that the only prima facie evidence of ownership of a piece of land is a certificate of title or a certificate or lease. Without that, we can say that the IDPs are literally squatters and have no claim at all in respect of the parcel of land they occupy. What begs a question and, indeed, it is a question the country must address and answer, is what happened to the parcels of land. What happened to the farms where they were evicted from? Who are the beneficial owners? What has been taken? What action has been taken against the persons who appropriated land that was left behind by those who were evicted? As we proceed to grant titles to the IDPs, we must ask those hard questions and seek answers. I support the recommendation by the Committee that all those involved should be investigated, past and former or current, and appropriate action taken against those who have misappropriated the funds. Action should be taken against those who have failed to act as required by the various land laws to afford or provide titles to the IDPs. As a country, we must have that conversation and have strong answers to avoid the recurrent of these kinds of actions. We are going to run out of money to buy land for IDPs. We are going to run out of large parcels of land to buy for these kinds of people. So, as a country - and I concur with Hon. Chepkut - we must be peace loving Kenyans. Peace, love and unity as propagated by the late President Daniel 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."
}