THE KENYAN LAND ISSUE IS FAR FROM ENDING

THE KENYAN LAND ISSUE IS FAR FROM ENDING

The great Afro- American human right defender and leader, Mr. Malcolm X once, in his speech “the message from grassroots” described land as the basis of all freedoms. In so saying he meant that no nation could survive if her people had no place to call their own land.
In his analysis, he cited that all revolutions across the world including the Mau Mau was based, informed and founded on the issue and basis of land. The fight for freedom was for re-ownership of land and other desires by the natives.
This is the point that the so-called founding fathers of this nation failed to see, realize and adequately address.
Wananchi, especially those whose land had earlier been forcefully taken by the white settlers, thought that the achievement of this nation’s independence would mark a beginning of their decent life and repossession of their own land.
Unfortunately, while the white settlers were exiting, in were coming the black native colonialists. The independence government officials instead diverted the people’s land to themselves and to the ownership of their cronies who were equally favored by this selfish act of that government.
Those who fought in the forest to get their land back still found themselves landless, poor and pushed to the periphery. Those who were lucky enough among them got resettled in some parts of this country without any care of the danger that this would have posed for the future. This situation was also worsened by mass grabbing of fertile land from the citizens by the black leadership, forceful evictions and subsequent resettlement of the affected people.
The political turmoil experienced in Kenya, just after the 2007 Election is a true testimony on how land issue has evolved into a dragonish and complicated foe able to consume the entire nation under a coil of political, economical or social front. During the Post election violence in2007/2008, displacements of people were done on the basis of land, where others were considered “outsiders” to and of a certain area. And as a result, properties worth billions of Kenyan shillings were destroyed, lives were equally lost and the economy devastated. The land question has since brought hate of greatest magnitude among the communities. On and off, communities has found themselves wrangling among themselves for quest of land ownership.
But to the national amazement, the political class and the governments that have been in existence since independence have not paid much attention to out root this cancer that pose a latent threat to the existence of this nation. While the land issue has been a real problem, it has received less attention. And every regime unfortunately has swept this issue under a carpet and instead preferred to address the symptoms of this problem instead of the real issues.

So, as much we would like to currently address the issue of internally displaced people, it would be wise for us to revisit the historical facts about land. Some of the displaced people have made it clear that they would not want to go back to their farms. These groups have a genuine concern; they are tired of being displaced and they know that their fate is far from the end. They want total freedom; once and for all.
So Kenya must use this crisis to seek truth about land issue must. Kenyans should demand to know who took away the lands that were once owned by the white settlers, the mode of which they were acquired and why it did not go back to the rightful owners.
We must also audit and question how some prominent people came to have big chunks of land they have today and also put to public knowledge how the entire land in this nation is distributed. This will help us to confirm or demystify the validity of some theories and myths surrounding the land debate.
It is said that there exist absentee landlords in this country, while at the same time, it a common knowledge that there are squatters. Audit on land ownership may help us to re-distribute such kind of lands to end some of this paradox of our time.
While a recent statement by the land Minister Hon. James Orengo proposing that some internally displaced people be resettled elsewhere in the country, was met by maximum rebellion from a section of legislators, leaders and Ministers, it would have been wise perhaps to have it as a beginning point of resolving the land issue. We need to give the Minister a chance to picture what he has in his mind. I believe that he may have come across some key information about land recovery or availability that could have been vital to end the endless nightmare of displacement based on the land feuds.
Maina Njenga, the jailed and alleged Mungiki Spiritual leader, makes it clear that they are the forgotten children of Mau Mau leaders, who are demanding back their land and share of the national cake. His position makes sense; that people cannot stay in poverty and inequality while they bear the full knowledge that somehow and somewhere they were shortchanged of their aspiration at independence time.
Land issue is a thorny adventure, but the only solution to it will be founded at that moment when this nation shall face the truth and be honest to herself. Justice cannot operate in vacuum; it must occupy a space in which the historical injustices must stand addressed with restitution and equal distribution of resources.

Yours faithfully,

Signed

OULU GPO
P.O Box 4598-00200
Nairobi