Africa-Press – Kenya. National Lands Commission (NLC ) now wants MPs to reconsider its Sh112 million budget cut warning the most of its operations risk stalling.
Speaking when they appeared before the National Assembly Lands Committee, NLC said its digitization plans as well as operations will suffer the most should it lose the money that it had initially allocated.
“Our planned activities which include digitization will be hugely affected if this budget cut is allowed to stand,” NLC Director Finance and Cooperate Planning Ben Cherutich.
The session chaired by Bondo MP sought to know the actual expenditure highlighting the key items of spending.
The house team also was interested in the impact of the proposed budget revision on the 2023/24 programs.
NLC Commission Kazungu Kambi who led the Commission’s delegation said the Commission has the potential to raise enough revenue but its efforts to unleash its economic potential have been hindered by the budget provision.
“We have the potential of becoming one of the biggest revenue earners in this country,” Kambi said.
“I urge this Committee for a meeting to discuss what NLC can do to change this country’s economy.”
As a result of the cut, Kambi said, Commissioners and senior NLC staff are forced to fuel the Commission’s vehicles.
“We request the Committee to look at the Sh112 million budget cut. Even as we speak we have not been able to fuel our vehicles, ” Kambi said.
Kambi also urged the Ochanda-led team to consider adding NLC a further Sh2 billion to settle all compensation bills across the country.
Ochanda will on Thursday defend the budget cut before the National Budget and Appropriation Committee chaired by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro.
The budget cut comes at a time when the government is hell-bent on snatching the evaluation and compulsory acquisition of land for state project functions from the Commission.
The Land Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023sponsored by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah strips the commission of the role that it has played since its establishment.
The Cabinet Secretary for Lands has been given the powers to sanction such acquisition.
“Whenever the national or county is satisfied that it may be necessary to acquire some particular land, the respective Cabinet secretary or the CEC shall submit a request for acquisition of land to the CS (Lands) to acquire the land compulsorily,” the Bill states.
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