The effort by President William Ruto to eliminate the National Land Commission’s responsibilities for land appraisal and compensation has been rejected by renowned Kenyan constitutional lawyer Bobby Mkangi.
Mkangi, who participated in the constitution’s writing, stated in a statement on Monday that the NLC is an independent institution whose mission is guaranteed by the Constitution and that no one has the authority to revoke it.
“No one can purport to take away any powers granted to a constitutional commission and transfer them to another agency, whether it be the President, the Executive, or the Minister,” Mkangi said. If this occurs, the President will be abrogating the Constitution.
President Ruto stated during a speech in Isiolo on Sunday that the Ministry of Lands will deal with land assessment and compensation to address the corruption that was previously encountered.
He attacked the commission, alleging that it had conspired with cartels to inflate land values and cheat the government.
Mkangi asserted that President Ruto may address any wrongdoing in the commission without attempting to obstruct its work, nevertheless.
“What you do is combat institutional corruption through legal means; if there are people who need to be charged, let them be brought before the court,” Mkangi added.
The commission’s seven responsibilities, which are listed in Article 67 of the Constitution, cannot be reduced, according to the legal expert, and if they are, it will be void.
“The National Land Commission cannot lose any of the seven responsibilities that are outlined for it in the Constitution. Making an effort is equivalent to doing nothing, according to Mkangi.
