The National Lands Commission has embarked on programme to sensitize indigenous people on the importance of registering communal lands through enacted legislation in East Africa Community
Speaking during the event dubbed ‘Community Land Summit’ on Tuesday 22nd November, at Nanyuki, NLC Chairman Gershom Otachi urged the indigenous people to engage the enabling legislation in registering their lands
“What we are requesting communities especially pastorilists is to stop moving from one place to another because that can not convince the laid down policies for one to proof the ownership of the land,” Otachi noted
According to survey in National Land Commission is that 60 percent of the land mass in kenya is in Arid and Semi Arid areas which is occupied by pastorilists communities
The summit brought together communities from across the country and even East Africa region including Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopian representatives
The Chairman noted that lapset project in Lamu has passed through community lands where indigenous people have no title deeds to demand for compensation from National Land Commission
He therefore told communities to engage government and other stakeholders on how their land can benefit them when they own it rather than
“There might be slow progress made within one year but the national lands commission has been monitoring how the communal land is used and we have allocated budgetary returns for the registered owners and those who can proof their ownership through related regulations,” He added
The commission said will continue sensetizing communities on how the community land is supposed to be used by the government
“The law provided currently under the community land compensation, any land taken by the government project is retained by the county government in trust for the community.
Therefore the act provides compensation in different ways because any investment put in any communal land can’t be transferred to another place and it remains the project for that area. He ended