Nairobi, 16th May, 2024
The National Land Commission on Wednesday evening signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to fund three key programmes to the tune of Ksh.16.8 million.
Through the LoA, FAO will be supporting the Commission over a period of one year to undertake the development of guidelines for preparation and approval of land use and management plans for land held by public agencies, undertake detailed investigations on Historical Land Injustice (HLI) claims in Mombasa County entailing public hearings, site visits, determinations, sensitizations and make recommendations on the way forward with respect to HLI claims and tenancy-at-will and supporting the formulation of the ongoing policy framework on minimum and maximum land holding acreages in Kenya.
Speaking during the event, NLC Chairperson Gershom Otachi assured the development partner that the resources would be put into proper use as spelled out in the LoA.
NLC Chief Executive Officer Kabale Tache Arero on her part noted that the commission, like other government agencies, is faced with budget shortfalls which slows down the implementation of its activities.
As such, she applauded FAO for coming in handy to support Commission activities. While appreciating FAO for the financial and technical support given to the commission over the years, she also appealed to other institutions to partner with the Commission to fund the activities and programs of the commission.
“We appreciate the financial and technical support you have given us all along. Whenever we get stuck, the closest friend we think of and who always comes to our rescue is FAO,” said Ms Kabale.
On their part, FAO led by Assistant FAO Representative Programmes in Kenya Hamisi Williams called for prudent use of resources. “We shall be very keen on the reporting of these funds. We shall require every explanation on the spending,” he said.
NLC Commissioner Hon. Esther Murugi, several directors and deputy directors as well as FAO Kenya’s Natural Resources’ Governance Sub-Programme Leader Ms Husna Mbarak attended the signing ceremony at the Commission offices in Nairobi.