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Kenya: Property Owners Put On Notice
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The Nation (Nairobi)
8 May 2008
Posted to the web 8 May 2008
Samwel Kumba
Nairobi
Individuals and institutions owning huge tracts of land have been put on notice - develop them or be ready to pay tax on them.
This will come into effect once the Ministry of Lands implements the proposed National Land Policy.
Minister James Orengo on Wednesday assured the National Society on Land Reforms that the ministry would implement the policy to the letter.
He announced that the implementation of the policy had to take place before the new constitution is delivered to ensure that land issues were adequately catered for.
Given priority
"It cannot come after the Constitution because land issues would not then be given the priority they deserve. I am only going to hold one workshop, then finalise a Cabinet paper being prepared and have a Sessional Paper in Parliament seeking to adopt the policy," said Mr Orengo.
The minister is aware of the challenges ahead of this move, acknowledging that the problem is deep-seated and highly emotive. He, therefore, called on the civil society to push aside anybody standing on the way to the implementation of the policy.
Mr Orengo said that those opposed to the implementation of the policy were either large-scale landowners whose tracts of land were idle, land grabbers, those illegally settled in schemes or those who simply jumped to own the huge tracts of land that the colonial settlers left.
The land policy, he said, had recommendations with far-reaching social, economic and political ramifications and required an education and awareness programme to sensitise the public about it.
"The concept paper forms the basis for national outreach and sensitisation of the public on the contents of the draft policy and entails a well thought out communication strategy that lays out a clear roadmap for a wide reach," the minister said.
Mr Orengo hopes that the programme will address the aspects that might impede the acceptance of the policy.
He regretted that even the Government, which is supposed to be the largest landowner, buys land to develop projects due to lack of proper records at the Ministry's registry. To this end, the minister promised to computerise the ministry's records. He took issue with resettlement of internal refugees, saying the process needed to be highly consultative.
"If we rely on the use of the military at the expense of addressing the real issues, then we are losing out on the main problems. We are simply postponing the problems," said Mr Orengo.
Full ownership
The National Society on Land Reforms, which had met for two days to discuss the issue, had, among others, resolved that the Government take full ownership of the policy, anchor the policy of the dialogue and reconciliatory process and ensure the resettlement of those displaced is transparent.
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Organisations represented at the workshop included Kenya National Land Alliance, Kenya Human Rights Commission , Shelter Forum, Haki Jamii Trust and Fida Kenya.
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