The policy was unveiled at a ceremony presided over by Deputy President William Ruto, who lauded it as a solution to unplanned settlements that have impacted negatively on the environment/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun, 12 – Kenya’s first National Land Use Policy has been unveiled to enhance planning and promote equitable utilization with the main aim of ending the perennial land problems in the country.
The policy was unveiled at a ceremony presided over by Deputy President William Ruto, who lauded it as a solution to unplanned settlements that have impacted negatively on the environment.
The Deputy President hailed the policy saying it will give Kenyans dignity and a sense of belonging as well as promote food security which is one of the key pillars in the government’s Big Four agenda
‘’Successful implementation of this policy will place Kenya firmly on an accelerated path to Vision 2030 via the big four agenda. Success is critical and there is no room for failure or mediocre work in implementing this policy,” said Ruto.
The Deputy President asked the Ministry of Lands to plan wisely on how the objectives of the policy will be realized since it will be the framework to plan for future land use.
Ruto reiterated that lack of vision, incompetence and mediocre planning is a threat to the development of the country and achievement of the policy is not an option.
“Every effort must be committed to ensuring that it succeeds in addressing food insecurity, unplanned settlements, inefficient land practices and environmental degradation,” he said.
Besides employing the Policy, referred to as the Sessional Paper No.1 of 2017, to address land problems in the country, Mr Ruto called on the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning to lead the way in forecasting and planning on the land requirements of the country.
According to the Lands Cabinet Secretary Faridah Karoney, the National Land Use Policy sets out long-term goals on land use management.
Ms Karoney said the policy provides legal, administrative, institutional and technological framework for optimal use and productivity of land in a sustainable way.
“This policy calls for the allocation of lands and issuance of titles on the basis of approved physical development plans. It further advocates for an audit and mapping out of the number and location of informal settlements and provide security of tenure,” she said.
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