LAND ISSUE AND KENYA ELECTION POLITICS

FRANCIS ILAHAKA

At last early this week President Mwai Kibaki published the long awaited land commission team ending national outcry lead by Constitution Review Commissioner  C. Nyachaye

 Even though things had now cooled the team  had difficult task ahead of them given  that land issue is complex issue which cannot be tickled through political grouping, because it is partly contributed by the rising population, climatic all change among others

 Kibaki action also comes when politicians are planning to use the land issue during the second round of Presidential debate planned to be held on Monday and already Uhuru Kenyatta had threaten to withdraw because some politicians wants to attack him over land.

 The debate over land was started by Watangula who accused  Uhuru group for grabbing land which is not true because there is no scholarly document to support the claim.

 Watatungula should go back to history because according to the Dairy Nation of December 17 1966 and November 6, 1966 the late J.M Kariuki had about 1,000 acres’ of land and the late Masinde Muliro had over 1,500 acres of Land. So is is wrong for Watangula to be one sided given that numerous politicians commonly known as working class gain from land

With few  days remaining to general election on March 4^th land issue is likely going to dominate the debate as away of attracting voters.

Historically land issue is among the most complex in Kenya history dating back to colonial period around 1800 when the  Europeans arrived in Kenya as missionaries, slave dealers among others

In  human life land is the only gift that the creator give to mankind according to the book of Genesis and up to date land is the  source of wealth as far as materialistic in concern and that is why man cannot surrender land eg Isreal promised land.

 According to historians the white man took African land  either by force or agreement and after Uhuru the land was taken over by the rich and politicians  claiming that they are freedom fighters.

 What is interesting in Kenya the land issue  only come out during election because politicians wants to use it to get votes.

  What history tells as is thatat independence, Kenya undertook a major land resettlement program which involved long and difficult negotiations between London, the Kenyan government, African nationalists, and the white farmers. The settlement terms and Kenya’s land programs have been criticized widely on the grounds that an elite of Kenyans benefited, that a British presence was maintained and further entrenched, that  the colonial norms were preserved, and that a huge loan repayment burden was passed on to Kenyan farmers. The nationalists movement was only between groups who emerged as KANU and KADU at the time of negotiations over the ground rules for the transition to an independent regime and the way that regime would look subsequently but also was split within what became KANU itself. Elelments within KANU who broke with Kenyatta over the land question were led by Odinga and Kaggia.

Odinga and Kaggia did want Kenya to have to repay loans secured from Britain to buy out the settlers. They wanted a limit on the size of land holdings in the former European areas. The insisted on free land to the landless and a reduction of indebtedness of those who had settled on the million acre scheme. These points became a major part of the program of the KPU. But by no means was the discontent with Kenya’s land policy restricted to opponents of the KANU government who later resigned and joined the KPU. Many KANU backbenchers were to question Governments policy and especially the purchase of land by ministers.

Sorting out the actual settlement programs is hard enough much less trying to understand their whys and wherefores. A number of interwoven strands must be taken into account. Kenyatta’s policy of reconciliation towards Europeans must be understood as a prerequisite for his policies within kikuyu land. It was a British demand that white farmers be bought out by the Kenya government which borrowed from Britain

Even though many Kenya blames Kenyatta for land grabbing in one way or another he was not like Mugabe of Zimbabwe and that is why he opposed forceful land take over

What it is known is that starting from colonial period outsiders from Europeans Countries were awarded with land belonging to Africa eg those who fight in war and those royal to Queen Elizabeth and after Uhuru Africa politicians awarded Politian’s royal to the government and punished rebels by taking there land

 The mushrooming slum in Kenya cities are results of land grabbing during both Kenyatta era and Moi era in which both  administration and KANU youth dish out public land to those who were royal to the ruling party among others

  It is wrong for Watangula to use land issue in campaign  and yet Luhya lost millions of shillings in Trans nzoia land scandal by buying none existing land some owned by the late Mainde Muliro.

  Those politicians including Watangula should understand that  land issue is complexand it can generate violence according to the new book published recently titled Peace  Building and Conflict Management in reference to 2007 and2008 political violence

  It is my with that land  issue will cool down with the publishing of land commissioner team by President Mwai Kibaki

   FRANCIS ILAHAKA IS CULTURAL WRITER CURRENTLY WORKING ON ABOOK MAKING OF KENYA PRESIDENCY FROM KENYATTA TO MWAI KIBAKI

  francisilahakai@gmail.com