On Friday 12^th October 2012, the High Court ruled on the last two courts cases which stood in the way of appointing Commissioner’s to the National Land Commission. The first case had been withdrawn on the 21^st of September 2012.

Kenyans now expect that the President Kibaki moves with speed to formally appoint the Chair and members to this key Constitutional organ. Once these appointments are done, focus will quickly shift to the Ministry of Lands which is expected to house the Land Commission. Work for the Commission is well cut out following fears that unscrupulous officers in the Lands Ministry may have taken advantage of the period between the promulgation of the constitution in August 2010 and the Commission’s assumption of office to allocate any available public land.

Other immediate challenges may include convenient office space in Ardhi House, availability of operational funds and operational staff. Fears of a flare up of land related electoral violence, before, during or after the 2013 general elections, is yet another urgent matter the Commission must keep in mind. The MRC issue at the Coast of Kenya is attributed to historical land injustices. The land policy, constitution and newly enacted land laws provide entry points for the resolution of this historical problem. This too requires early attention by the land commission.

Meanwhile, the Community and Evictions and Resettlement Bills Task Force headed by Dr Elizabeth Nzioki, put in place through a recent Gazette Notice No 13557 of 19/09/2012 to develop a community land bill and an Evictions and Resettlement Bill, has began its work in earnest. This Task Force is expected to seek public input on the two bills soon. Stakeholders with content to inform these bills should keep it ready for submission once methods of submission are announced.