Nairobi: National Assembly Adopts Proposed Measures To Rectify Historical Land Injustices

• The National Assembly adopted an amendment to the National Land Commission (NLC) Act, 2012, offering hope to victims of historical land injustices
• Marakewet West Timothy Kipchumba Toroitich, the proposer of the amendment, said it's necessary to complete investigations on historical land injustice claims within a year
• The amendment aims to impose a time limit on the NLC to hear and resolve historical land injustice cases and acknowledge the injustice of prolonged hearings
• Nyeri Town MP Duncan Mathenge supported the amendment, stressing the persistent issue of unresolved land injustices, even decades after independence

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Nairobi - Kenyans who have suffered historical land injustices have something to smile about after members of the National Assembly adopted a proposed amendment to the National Land Commission (NLC) Act, 2012.

The mover of the proposal, Marakwet West MP Timothy Kipchumba Toroitich, stated that the importance of the amendment is that the Commission, upon commencement of the amended Act, shall be required to commence and conclude investigation on a claim of a historical land injustice within a year.

"This will ensure that historical land injustices claims such as the ones for Chebororwa ATC are expeditiously determined, thus bringing closure to the said claims. Once a matter is seized by the NLC, they must be required by law to conclude it by a given period of time, however complex it is," he said.

Kipchumba observed that if such a matter is heard for a period of ten years by the NLC, that alone is a historical injustice.

"So, there must be a definite period of time in which a matter is heard and disposed of by the NLC. It would be unfair, he continued, if we did not give the NLC a deadline for hearing, ruling on, and resolving cases that come before it," Kipchumba added.

What is NLC's mandate on historical land injustices

The NLC is required by Article 67(2)(e) of the 2010 Kenya Constitution to look into past land injustices on its own initiative or in response to a complaint and suggest suitable remedies.

Section 15 of the National Land Commission Act, as amended by Section 38 of the Land Laws Amendment Act 2016, provides the legal framework for redressing historical land injustices in order to give effect to this constitutional requirement.

Emgwen MP Josses Lelmengit, who seconded the motion, said that his home county of Nandi has seen numerous instances of past land injustices.

His Nyeri Town counterpart, Duncan Maina Mathenge, weighed in favour of the amendment, stating that problems related to past land injustices persist even 60 years after independence.

Kenyan Man Working In Qatar Acknowledges Wife's Role In Career Success: "Alinisupport Kabisa"
Meru Woman Recounts Going To Tanzania For Bizarre Rituals: "My Life Wasn't Working"
Samidoh Showers Edday Nderitu With Love On Her Birthday: “Shared Memories”

MPs in parliament during a past session.

Nairobi: National Assembly Adopts Proposed Measures to Rectify

Nairobi: National Assembly Adopts Proposed Measures to Rectify