Africa-Press – Kenya. ODM leader Raila Odinga has called on families in Nyanza region to practice land consolidation to ensure maximum productivity of their parcels.
Odinga challenged Luo elders to rally the community to abolish the tradition of building scattered homesteads belonging to the sons of a family patriarch.
He said that the cultural practice is denying the Luo community land for undertaking development projects.
Speaking during a fundraiser at Wang’ Adonji SDA Church in Karachuonyo Constituency where he was hosted by Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Odinga said land had become scarce.
“What I have experienced is that there is a big disparity in availability of land between today and those days when we were young. In those days, land was very vast and that is why parents had no problems allocating land to their sons to construct homesteads.
He said that with the population growing, land has become scarce, making it difficult for one to allocate all his sons land to build homesteads while reserving enough land for agriculture.
Odinga suggested that the community should embrace urban urban-type arrangement where members of a given family construct residential houses centrally on a selected piece of land.
The land where they ought to have constructed scattered homesteads should be left for agriculture and other development activities.
He argued that such settlements had worked well in developed countries and will also make it easier for the government to provide services like water, electricity, roads and health centers.
He urged Luo elders to start promoting the urbanization agenda to the community.
“Urbanisation is the only way to go. Let our elders start promoting the agenda in the community,” Odinga said.
He also urged the community to focus on politics, which is development-based.
Wanga urged residents to continue strengthening ODM party.
“Let all officials of ODM work hard in strengthening the party in their jurisdictions,” Wanga said.
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