Senate committee promises to re-table Community Land Bill

 By MOSES NJAGIH

Kenya: The Community Land Bill, which was drafted last year but was not tabled in the Senate within the required time will be re-tabled, the Senate Lands Committee has said.

Committee Chairman, Lenny Kivuti (Embu Senator) said the committee is addressing contentious issues that saw it not table the Bill last year.

Kivuti said only after scrutinising the private members Bill to factor in views from the Ministry of Lands,  will they take it to the House.

The Bill by Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki seeks to provide a legislative framework for the recognition, protection, management and administration of community land.

“The Bill had gone through the First Reading and was set for comments from the National Assembly, the ministry and other players. These are the issues we now want to incorporate before bringing the Bill to the Senate,” said Kivuti.

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Kivuti said the Bill must be published and all contentious issues in the initial Bill addressed before it can be tabled, adding that the public will read it during the public participation window.

Public morality

Among other things the Bill seeks to ensure that like in the case of public land, the State may regulate use of community land “in the interest of public order, public morality, public health or land use planning”.

The powers of community Land Boards and Management committees will be established and defined once the Bill is passed and assented to.