175.-(1) Any person who, without lawful authority or without any right or licence, express or implied under customary or statutory land law so to do- (a) occupies or erects building on any land- (b) clears, digs, ploughs, cultivates, or grazes animals over any land or part of it; (c) cuts or removes any timber or other produce on or from any land or part of it, shall be taken to be in unlawful occupation of that land. (2) Where, with respect to general land or reserved land, the Commissioner, or with respect to village land, the village council having jurisdiction over that land is of the opinion that a person is in unlawful occupation of land, the Commissioner or, as the case may be, the village council may serve on that person a notice in the prescribed form or give to that person an oral communicate, in a language calculated to be understood by that person requiring that person to show cause as to why he should not be required to vacate that land within any time and subject to any terms and conditions as to be removal of buildings, the reaping of growing crops and any other matters which the justice of the case may require, which may be specified in the notice or oral communication. 191 The Land Act [CAP.113 R.E. 2018] (3) Any notice referred to in subsection (1) shall inform the person to whom it is addressed that if he so desires it, he shall be given an opportunity of being heard in connection with his showing cause as to why he should not vacate the land which the notice relates. (4) In determining whether to serve a notice or oral communication and the period of time to be specified in the notice by the and of which the person is required to vacate the land, the Commissioner or as, the case may be, the village council shall take account of- (a) whether any belief any by the person that he is in lawful occupation of land is a reasonable belief; (b) the use which the person is making of the land, including any crops being grown by that person and when they may reasonably be expected to be ready to be harvested; (c) the length of time that person has been on that land and his age and general circumstances; (d) whether that person has any dependants living with him; (e) whether that person or any dependants of that person are in employment near to that land; (f) whether the occupation of the land took place the peaceably or by occupation is, as a consequence, depriving any person of the lawful occupation and use of that land which that person could the take land up immediately was vacated; force and whether (g) whether the occupation of the land is preventing or some necessary desirable development or public works; (h) the nature and environment of the land and where the land is land reserved for the primary use of wildlife, whether the occupation of the land is hindering or preventing the use of the land by wildlife or is in practice in harmony with that use; 192 The Land Act [CAP.113 R.E. 2018] (i) whether in all the circumstances, it would be reasonable to pay any sum of money to the person on account of his being required to vacate the land; (j) any other factors which seem relevant including any matters which the person occupying the land brings to the attention of the Commissioner, or, as the case may be, the village council. (5) A person served with a notice or oral communication under this section shall, within not more than sixty days, show cause to the Commissioner or, as the case may be a village council, as to why he should not vacate the land to which the notice relates. (6) Where a person does not within sixty days show cause as to why he should not vacate the land to which the notice relates and has no reasonable excuse for not so complying, he shall be deemed to have accepted the notice and shall be under a duty to comply with that notice. (7) Where the Commissioner or, as the case may be, the village council after considering any representations made by the person attempting to show cause determines that he has failed to show cause as to why he should not be required to vacate the land to which the notice relates, the Commissioner or, as the case may be, the village council shall inform that person by notice or oral communication that he is required to vacate the land within the time specified in the notice served under subsection (1). (8) A person who responded to the notice whom cause but shows but who failed so to do in terms of subsection (5) may apply to the court for relief against the operation of that notice or oral communication, within thirty days of being notified that he has failed to show cause. (9) An application for relief is not to be taken as an admission by the person applying for relief that- (a) he is in unlawful occupation of the land; (b) by person of that unlawful occupation, the Commissioner or, as the case may be, the village council has the right to require him to vacate the land in respect of which the application for relief 193 The Land Act [CAP.113 R.E. 2018] Cap 4 s.8 has been made; (c) all notices and oral communications which were required to be served by the Commissioner or, as the case may be, the village council were properly served; (d) the period by which the land must be vacated specified in the notice or oral communication was reasonable or had expired. (10) The court may, taking into account all those matters set out in subsection (4), grant relief to the person applying for the same on any terms and conditions which appear to the court to be just and reasonable and, without prejudice to the generality of this provision, the court may- (a) cancel the notice or oral communication and declare that the person is entitled to remain on the land; (b) postpone the operation of the notice or oral communication and grant the person a licence to remain on the land until the notice or oral communication shall come into operation; (c) where the person is a pastoralist, vary the operation of the notice or oral communication by granting the person an easement of grazing of any terms and conditions which the court shall think fit; (d) vary, my of the terms of the notice or oral communication or the period within which the person is required to vacate the land; (e) vary the amount of any payment to be paid, or where no payment has been offered, order that payment as the court shall think just be made to the person on his vacating of the land. (11) Where the court has confirmed, with or without any variations, alterations or additions in the exercise of its powers under the notice or oral communication, the person on whom the notice or oral communication has been served shall be under a duty to comply with that notice or oral communication as confirmed by the court. subsection (6), 194 The Land Act [CAP.113 R.E. 2018] Obstruction of public rights of way