Sunday, February 5, 2012

Tackle land issue in coast before polls to avert chaos, State urged



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PHOTO/FILE  Residents of Ng’ombeni in Matuga in a past protest against alleged grabbing of land on which squatters were meant to be resettled.
PHOTO/FILE Residents of Ng’ombeni in Matuga in a past protest against alleged grabbing of land on which squatters were meant to be resettled. 
By ANTHONY KITIMO akitimo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, February 5  2012 at  21:27
The government has been urged to handle the land issue in the Coast with caution to avert any possible violence in the next General Election.
Delegates at a meeting to discuss ways of averting violence in the elections said the squatter problem has remained unsolved for years in the region and if it is not handled cautiously could lead to conflict.
National Cohesion and Integration Commission member Ahmed Yassin and former Interim Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission member Murshid Mohammed said there is need to address the historical land injustices in the region to ensure the residents are satisfied.
“We have different commissions being set up, among them the National Land Commission, which will try to oversee how the problem will be resolved.
"I urge the commission to consider land issues since the arrival of the Portuguese in 1948, when the injustices began,” said Dr Mohammed.
Dr Yassin said wrangles between the Mombasa Republican Council and the government were as a result of land.
“Once the land issue in the Coast is resolved, gangs which the government has banned will become a thing of the past since they will feel the people are no longer marginalised,” said Dr Yassin.
The remarks come at a time when the government announced that it has identified several regions where conflicts are likely to erupt during and after the next General Election.
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It said that it will put in place measures to avert such chaos.
Internal Security minister George Saitoti said as the country prepares for the polls, his office has come up with mechanisms to deal with any outstanding causes of conflict.
Resolving conflicts
Prof Saitoti said district security intelligence committees and district peace committees have been empowered to prevent any election and post-election violence as the one experienced in 2008.
“More than 150 district peace committees have been activated and their members trained to play a more active role in identifying and resolving conflicts.
"I assure all Kenyans and investors that the government will do whatever it takes to ensure the next General Election is held in an atmosphere of peace and harmony,” said the minister.
Speaking during the National Peace and Security for Development Summit at Serena Hotel in Mombasa, Prof Saitoti called on every Kenyan to make a contribution in efforts to foster sustainable peace among communities.
The minister warned politicians against incitement and interfering with the electoral process. He asked them to ensure Kenyans exercised their democratic right peacefully.

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