Land and political power have always been closely intertwined in Kenya’s historical trajectory. After independence from the British in 1968, the legacy of a dual system of land laws and administration continued. Repeatedly, tenure insecurity, forced evictions, inequality, and grievances related to inequality and corruption in the land sector have contributed to violence, such as during the 2007 election. In 2009, the National Land Policy was approved mandating land restitution for those who have been dispossessed and aiming to strengthen customary land tenure vis-à-vis individual ownership. The implementation of the policy and the constitution of 2010 is ongoing and has resulted in a number of progressive laws that recognize community land for the first time.
Socio-economic indicators
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Land Area
56,914,000 ha
GDP/Capita
4,743.5 USD
Total population
53,005,600
Urban population
27 %
Land-related indicators
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Agricultural land
48.6 %
Perceived tenure security
60.7 %
Women owning land
3.4 %
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04 January 2024
Photo ID 557871 UN Photo/Tobin Jones (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)
Are you passionate about upholding Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LC) rights and supporting the protection of forests and biodiversity and the governance of IPLC land and forests in the African continent?
Do you have…
23 September 2023
Photo: ILRI/Dorine Odongo (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)
Sometimes at high-level international events, like the Africa Climate Summit held in early September 2023, we do not have the opportunity to, or forget to, include the voices of people who are going through the very issues discussed.
At this…
25 June 2023
The Ogieks are divided into clans, they have their own language and their own social norms and forms of subsistence. As a hunter-gatherer community, the Ogiek have for centuries depended on the Mau Forest for their residence and as a source of livelihood.
But in October 2009, the Kenya Forestry…
For the first time, the Constitution of 2010 recognizes customary land law if it is consistent with other applicable law. The Community Land Act (2016) protects community land rights and is responsible for the development of community land registers as well as the setup of Community Land Management Committees.
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20 September 2024
In a strict sense, there is no express right to land under international human rights law. Yet, without land, several human rights would be in jeopardy. The realisation of rights related to food, water, housing, physical and mental health, as well as a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment…
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Uma conversa para compartilhar estratégias e empoderar mulheres em terras coletivas.
*O painel será apresentado em inglês e haverá tradução simultânea em espanhol e português.
As mulheres em todo o mundo vivem e trabalham em terras que são de propriedade coletiva de suas comunidades. No entanto,…
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