National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has referred former Taita Taveta Governor John Mruttu’s petition seeking reforms to Kenya’s succession and land administration laws to the Public Petitions Committee.

📻 Breaking It Down

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 29 — National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has referred a petition by former Taita Taveta Governor and Senate aspirant John Mruttu seeking sweeping reforms to Kenya’s succession and land administration laws to the Public Petitions Committee for consideration.

In a communication presented to the House on Thursday, Wetang’ula said the petition, submitted by Mruttu alongside 22 other petitioners, raises concerns over prolonged succession processes that have left vast amounts of productive land and other assets registered in the names of deceased persons for decades.

The Speaker told Members of Parliament that the petition had met the constitutional threshold under Article 119 and was properly before the House for consideration.

📌 What You Need to Know

“The Petitioners state that a substantial proportion of productive assets in Kenya, particularly land, remain registered in the names of deceased persons due to delayed succession processes,” Wetang’ula said in the communication.

According to the petition, succession procedures under the current legal framework are “complex, costly and inaccessible to ordinary citizens,” involving lengthy court procedures, gazettement requirements, legal representation, valuation costs and cumbersome registry processes.

The petitioners further argued that delayed succession has negatively affected economic growth by limiting access to credit, reducing agricultural productivity and fuelling land disputes across the country.

“They aver that delayed succession constrains economic growth as it hinders the use of assets as collateral, transfer efficiency and investor confidence,” the Speaker noted.

Mruttu, who has been championing the reforms since formally presenting the petition to Parliament in April, described the initiative as a critical step toward restoring justice for widows, orphans and young people denied access to inherited land.

“This marks the first—and very significant—step in the journey to correct injustices that have affected many Kenyan families for years,” Mruttu said earlier while unveiling the petition.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya