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Nairobi, June 25, 2009

CABINET BRIEF

The Cabinet today approved the National Land Policy for submission to Parliament as a Sessional Paper. The policy is an integrated and comprehensive framework able to effectively deal with current and emerging trends and issues. It provides guidelines to the relevant sectoral policies and programmes that deal with and affect land in the country.

The policy provides a platform for addressing issues such as access to land, land use planning, environmental degradation, land conflicts and injustices, unplanned proliferation of informal settlements and land information management.

Meeting under the Chairmanship of President Mwai Kibaki at State House Nairobi the Cabinet noted that there was need for a systematic and institutional framework to help the country deal with the sensitive issue of land in the country.

The Cabinet extensively debated the policy whose goal is to facilitate and create opportunities for Kenyans to secure access to land but is also cognizant of the fact that not all persons can be granted individual freehold rights to land.

The policy is critical in providing a new dispensation order in the land sector, and in the way Kenyans perceive the whole arena of land administration and management.

Other highlights of the National Land Policy include:

- Designating all land in Kenya as Public land, Community Land and private land ( currently all land in Kenya is designated Government land, Trust land and Private land)

- The policy recognizes and protects private land rights and provides for derivative rights and all categories of land rights holdings.

- The policy recommends reform of the institutional framework for land administration and management to ensure devolution of power and authority, participation, representation, justice, equity and sustainability.

- Three institutions are suggested for managing land affairs in the country namely; The National Lands Commission, The District Lands Board and Community Lands Boards

- District Land Disputes tribunals will be strengthened for dispute resolution.

- Land issues requiring special intervention such as historical injustices, land rights of minority communities and vulnerable groups will be addressed through the participation of such groups in decision making over land and land based resources.

- Review the existing Settlement Fund Trustee (SFT) with a view to strengthening and widening its mandate to include the acquisition of land for settlement of poor landless Kenyans, creation of a land bank to cater for future land needs, funding of compulsory acquisition programmes, development of infrastructure and public facilities in government expropriated lands and compensation for land set aside for public oriented projects such as conservation of the environment and cultural sites.

The Cabinet also ratified the Protocol on the establishment of the East African Science and Technology Commission and approved The Industrial Training (Amendment) Bill, 2009.

Today’s meeting also approved the nomination of the Registrar of the Nursing Council of Kenya to the board of the International Council of Nurses and Kenya’s conclusion of the Safeguards Agreement, an Additional Protocol and a Small Quantities Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency.