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Kenya

Laws to address land injustices coming

The formation of the task force is in line with Article 68(2) of the Constitution which requires investigations to be conducted and appropriate redress recommended by the National Land Commission. The taskforce was gazetted on May 9/CFM

The formation of the task force is in line with Article 68(2) of the Constitution which requires investigations to be conducted and appropriate redress recommended by the National Land Commission. The taskforce was gazetted on May 9/CFM

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 20 – The National Land Commission launched a taskforce on Tuesday consisting of 14 members, to engage with the public before drafting legislation and adjudication of complaints arising out of historical land injustices.

The formation of the task force is in line with Article 68(2) of the Constitution which requires investigations to be conducted and appropriate redress recommended by the National Land Commission. The taskforce was gazetted on May 9.

The chairman of the taskforce Samuel Tororei says they will travel throughout Kenya in search of ideas on how best to draft the legislation as opposed to using the method practiced by previous commissions.

“We shall go round but not so much to listen, because commissions have listened, Akiwumi listened, Njonjo listened, Ndung’u listened, TJRC listened,” Tororei said.

He says theirs is now to implement the results of all the input that went into previous commissions and draft bills that will see the aggrieved finally get justice.

The taskforce intends to have the legislation drafted and passed into law in the next 10 months.

The 14 member task force consists of Tororei as chairman, Rose Musyoka, Emma Njogu, Clement Olenashuru, Gichira Kibara, Ken Nyaundi, Wilberforce Kisiero, Grace Mwailemi, Christine Kanini, Nixon, Daniel Koilel, Amina hashi, Augustine Masinde, and Kassim Mwamzandi.

On the tussles with the Lands Ministry Tororei said they intend to sort out the misunderstandings as soon as possible.

“Do not be confused by the noise we hear in the ministry of lands, we are very good friends. You know when you are married… in fact one of the rules is never stop talking to each another, if you want your marriage to survive, because I don’t think it is in anybody’s interest that we keep forever complaining about each other.”

The launch that took place at a hotel in Nairobi was also attended by members of communities that the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission report noted as having suffered historical injustices.
They included the Nubian community, Semgwer, Ichemos, Awer, Endorois, Boni-Arwa and Ogiek among others.

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Some of the representatives of the various communities who spoke during the launch expressed concern over the lack of action from the other commissions previously tasked with fixing historical land injustices.

One of the representatives said: “By the government gazetting forests, where are we communities who reside in forests supposed to go? Do they intend to relocate us and give us land elsewhere?”

They urged the National Land Commission and the taskforce to be persistent with their push for justice because; “the commissions have become too many, we need answers.”

The taskforce is funded by the National Land Commission budget.

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