Land Reforms

The so-called Land Reform legislation enacted by Parliament last week (see attached Saturday Nation clip) fall far short of genuine reforms expected by the masses of our people who are landless. If anything it only perpetuates the division of Kenyans into landlords and landless.

Individuals should be able to LEASE land for productive (not speculative) purpose but NO INDIVIDUAL, GROUP or CORPORATION, local or foreign, should be allowed to OWN land. All land should be owned by the GOK in trust for ALL the people of Kenya. Hence, to be genuine, the new law must abolish PRIVATE ownership of land, so that we do not have landlords and landless and the LAND of KENYA belongs to ALL KENYANS.

Since no individual, group or corporation should own any land in Kenya, it follows that only the GOK would be the landowner in trust for the people of Kenya and NOBODY would then be allowed to SELL or LEASE land to any other person. Those who have LEASED land for productive purpose CANNOT lease it to any other person for private

gain. If they can't put the land to productive use, they should surrender it to the GOK so it can be allocated to those who can put it to productive use. No more trading in land. This will bring down the cost of land which is inflated by speculators who buy land for re-sale! This is the kind of land reform the masses of our people would like to see!

Under genuine land reforms, there would be no more trading in land by speculators. Rich speculators buy ALL the available land - including that occupied by poor landless inhabitants of slums - and then inflate the price of that land to make HUGE profits beyond the reach of many Kenyans. This has created a minority class of very wealthy landowners

and a majority of impoverished landless who have to pay exorbitant monthly rental to this ruthless landlord class. The bulk of the meagre income of the landless goes to the landlord, often for mud shacks lacking the most essential amenities like toilets and running water! As all their money goes to rent and amenities, the landless can't afford food and health care. Genuine land reforms will put an end to all this.

Even those middle class Kenyans who are lucky to be able to afford to buy land to build own houses, have had to pay MANY times the value of that land to these private speculators over many years robbing these hard-working Kenyans and denying them the enjoyment of their hard-earned gains! The present land tenure system robs and exploits the middle class as well as the poorer Kenyans. The struggle for genuine land reform - waged by the galiant freedom fighters of the

Kenya Land and Freedom Army (Mau Mau) - must be continued by a new generation of land and freedom fighters.