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MPs have decried budget cuts to the ministry of Lands and the National Lands Commission (NLC) saying their operations will grind to a halt if they are approved.

Opposing the reductions, Members of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Lands said they would cripple the operations of the two entities, especially the compensation of all unpaid bills which have been pending for years.

Led by Committee Chairperson Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango), the MPs noted that the proposed budget cuts may not only cripple normal operations, but also hamper routine activities in the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning and NLC which generate revenue to the exchequer.

Hold another sitting

The Committee which was meeting Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir yesterday, resolved to hold another sitting with his National Treasury counterpart to address the matter further.

Overall, the Supplementary Estimates No.1 of 2024/25 proposes to reduce the approved Government Budget estimates by Sh121.8 billion.

The Committee also met the NLC team led by Chairperson Gershom Otachi and the Chief executive Kabale Tache

The Budget Committee had earlier proposed that in view of delayed compensation for land acquired from individuals by the government for various projects, the Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning to prioritise payment for land compensation in the FY 2024/25 estimates before they are submitted to the National Assembly.

“Going forward, no government project should commence before the owners of the land are compensated in full,” stated the committee.

However following the revised Budget and the subsequent tabling of the Supplementary Budget which has been necessitated by the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024, no money has been set aside for compensation.

The Lands commission had urged MPs to reconsider its budget cut, warning that most of its operations risk stalling.

The commission said its digitisation plans as well as operations will suffer the most should it lose the money that it had initially allocated.

“Our planned activities which include digitisation will be hugely affected if this budget cut is allowed to stand,” said Otachi.

The commission said it has the potential to raise enough revenue but its efforts to unleash its economic potential.