Yesterday members of the Parliamentary Committee for Lands and Natural Resources came to Lamu to investigate the question raised in parliament about indigenous community members of Lamu lacking titles to their land as well as facing historical land injustice. Members of the committee that came included Hon. Mutava Musyimi, Hon. Benedict Fondo Gunda, Hon. Benjamin Jomo Washiali, Hon. Kiema Kilonzo. Also present were Hon Shakila Abdallah (Nominated MP) and Lamu County Council Chairman.
Hon. Abdalla raised the question in Parliament on August 3rd but the Minister of Lands failed to answer it adequately, which thereby called for the visit by the committee (Download Hansard).
Save Lamu, Wanaharakati Okoa Lamu, Lamu Council of Elders, together with several other groups submitted a memorandum highlighting the various historical injustices and issues of concern. Outside of the memorandum, the main issue raised at the meeting was on historical injustices, the lack of transparency, and the failure of the Ministry of Land officials to follow proper procedures during land adjudication and implementing settlement schemes. Community members brought forward documents to prove their cases including copies of titles deeds and allotment letters.
The first half of the meeting was very rowdy with segments of the audience being organized to disrupt the meeting whenever a differing opinion was mentioned as they debated on whether a settlement scheme, adjudication process, or community lands was the best solution to their problems. A majority were more inclined to have a standard adjudication process or community lands and. Although many did not shave an issues with having non-indigenous own lands in Lamu in settlement schemes, the main issue was the distribution of land to outsiders before land for locals was fully adjudicated and when the non-locals get more titles than the indigenous communities. As such, the biggest concern was freeing the land adjudication process off corruption.