The past two days have been hectic.
First, we (Oginga and I) drew up a rough draft and summarised key points of our bill.
i) The Government recognises the right of settlers to own land, including their currently occupied plantations and commercial properties, which are all protected under the constitution.
ii) However, due in part to historical injustices in land ownership, and where such injustices are deemed to persist, the government reserves the right to demarcate, divide and redistribute up to 50% of any settler-owned land back to the people, or for a community's benefit.
iii) The Bureau of Land Management shall be set up by the Government as an independent body with oversight authority to act on all land issues in Kenya. Its decisions shall be deemed final and legally binding to all parties.
iv) The Bureau will be headed by an executive council diverse in its representation of all communities in Kenya.
v) There shall be no more than ten seats in the executive council, with each community group occupying only one seat.
vi) Decisions by the Executive Council will proceed by means of elections. Each election must have at least a ninety per cent (90%) win rate for a decision to be passed as final.
vii) Each land issue shall be discussed and a decision passed promptly within 30 days.
viii) The Bureau shall endeavour to solve each land issue speedily, with fairness and a goal to peacefully integrate all communities into Kenya.
ix) The Bureau will be deemed to have fulfilled its mandate five years after its investiture, and then dissolved.
If this bill passes, the Asian community (Indians) would rise up. The plan is to offer them and any other minority groups additional seats in the Bureau.
Mzee was never a fan of Indians in Kenya, and in the original timeline, looked upon them and their issues coldly. I simply think of it as an inopportune clash of business spirits.
Indian immigrants in Kenya were quite savvy. This must have conflicted with the Kikuyu, another business-savvy people.
There is also a need to pass new laws to prevent racial discrimination and work exploitation. Seems like another job for parliament.
And then Oginga went about petitioning house representatives so fervently he drew attention from media outlets such as The Standard.
It was easy to convince those newly elected representatives the importance of this bill. Many are fresh to the corridors of power, and easy for Mzee to 'overwhelm' with his 'aura'.
But I underestimated the man's influence. In a few days, he won much support not only from major opposition leaders, but also from some prominent white families.
We hope to garner even more in these last days. This bill will pass unanimously!
It also helps that it's the parliament's first sitting. We are setting a precedent in dealing with important national issues, instead of relying solely on a central figure.
Frankly, it's another attempt at Kenya's unrealised democracy.
The original parliament passed as its first law a bill elevating Mzee's political immunity and barring anyone from criticising or insulting the Prime Minister, with punishment being exile!
This was a step in the wrong direction.