Women face many problems with regard to land inheritance and land rights in Kenya. Individual and community land ownership do not favour women. The reason for this is that ownership of land is patrilineal, which means that fathers share land amongst sons, while excluding daughters. This practice is traditionally widespread and partly accepted although it goes against the interest of women and is prohibited by the constitution.

Land acquisitions, either driven by foreign investments or domestic investment needs have continued to polarize opinions. When this research was proposed, it was premised on arguments by scholars Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Helen Markelova, who had analysed agricultural land deals, and argued that there were potentially two schools of thought about foreign acquisitions over agricultural land.

The Earth’s land surface is a key component of its climate system. Terrestrial plants, animals and human beings rely on the land surface for sustenance and existence; as such, its prevailing conditions and properties are essential to terrestrial life. Because land cover is a major component of the land surface, its alteration constitutes a form of land surface change.