April 25, 2024.
Lands CS Alice Wahome today said both levels of Government will have to step up their coordination and enforcement efforts to ensure land use plans and policies are followed strictly.
The CS, while empathizing with the victims of the current floods, said irregular land use is a big contributor to the ongoing destructions due to the heavy rains.
The CS spoke in Nakuru where she attended a working session together with Lands PS Generali Nixon Korir. The CS and the PS attended a workshop where they were briefed on the status of the review of the National Land Policy.
“We would want the National and the County Governments to be up to date with Physical Planning Laws. By the time the review of the first draft National Land Policy 2024 is over, we are keen to have very clear recommendations for laws that will deal with the land based emerging challenges,” said CS Wahome.
Wahome said the main objective of the session is to review the first Draft National Land Policy 2024 with a view to understanding the contents, giving input, providing guidance and oversight to the review process in readiness for public participation.
In May the CS will lead the public participation exercises which will also include focused discussions with judges of the Environment and Land Court, Parliament, County Government, relevant MDAs, the Academia, Professional Associations and Civil Societies.
CS Wahome congratulated the Coordinating and Steering Committees for a job well done adding that the review process has been done through multi-sector and multi-disciplinary coordinating committee and technical working groups with the support of the UN-FAO.
The Cabinet Secretary, as part of the consultative process, and in compliance with article 10 of the Constitution, issued a Public Notice from 19th February to 20th March 2024, inviting wananchi to make presentations on areas that should be considered in the policy review process.
CS Wahome noted that valuable comments and inputs from institutions and individuals, among them Coast Civil Society Network for Human Rights, Land Sector Non-State Actors (LSNSA), Lawi Sultan Njerumani, Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA), Kwale Mining Alliance, Economic and Social Rights Centre, Nature Kenya, Natural Resource Management Advocacy Platforms Under Green Park Project, Ashitiva Advocates LLP, Land Sector Non-State Actors, Turkana Extractive Consortium (TEC) and Prof. Elijah Ndegwa had been received.
PS Korir while speaking during the working session said, the Ministry’s Strategic Plan 2023-2027 calls for a review of several strategic issues including the National Land Policy to bring it in to accord with the Constitution and emerging realities.
“The reviewed Policy will form the basis of review of the Survey Act Cap 299, Land Act, 2012, Land Registration Act, 2012, National Land Commission Act, 2012 among others,” said PS Korir as he urged the team to develop a policy that is radical in its philosophy, strategic in outlook and realistic within the context of Kenya.
The Ministry wants the National Land Policy to guide the country in achieving efficient and sustainable use, management and administration of land in line with the constitution, Kenya Vision 2030 and Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).