Kwanza Member of Parliament Ferdinand Wanyonyi has submitted a motion to limit the amount of land that Kenyans can own.
Wanyonyi proposed on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday, November 16, that the government cap the minimum and maximum size of privately owned land.
He wants the government to publish the rules and regulations for private land use and management in order to enforce compliance with Article 68 (c) I of the Constitution, Section 159 of the Land Act, 2012, and the National Land Policy.
“With high population growth and the demand for land have resulted in excessive fragmentation of land into uneconomic units. The population growth in Kenya is rapidly growing and we should increase food production to avoid famine and hunger that we are now experiencing,” Wanyonyi said.
The lawmaker also contended that the government should be able to dictate how large tracts of land are used, claiming that no land should be left idle and that the government should levy taxes to make the owners pay for the land that is not being used.
Furthermore, Wanyonyi’s motion suggests that public institutions such as national schools and universities not hold large tracts of land.
“Instead of expanding horizontally, they should do it vertically: they should build their buildings going up. We need to have the land used even if it means planting vegetables,” he said.
His Endebess counterpart, Robert Pukose, seconded the motion, adding that maximum land utilization will not only ensure food security but also help to alleviate congestion in urban and semi-urban areas.
According to the MP, more houses can be built on multi-story structures.
However, Kaiado Woman Representative Leah Sankaire objected to the motion, claiming that the decision to declare land useless because it was not used for agriculture was based on incorrect information.
According to Sankaire, it ignores the cultural diversity of Kenyan communities, such as pastoral communities.
