The Future of Land Governance in Kenya

DATE: 2 NOVEMBER, 2023
VENUE: On-line workshop

The objective of the workshop is to critically analyse and conceptualize the increasing adoption of digital technologies in land governance in Kenya. This is based on the premise that land is a basic resource that is highly valued by the Kenyan populace. Land governance here refers to the statutory and customary regulation of how land is accessed, controlled, marketed and used and the institutions involved in these processes. Poor land records management due to outdated manual systems among other reasons has been identified as one of the key impediments to the efficient and effective carrying out of land transactions in Kenya. As such, in recent years, both the national and county governments have embraced digitalisation, with platforms like Ardhisasa being created to ensure that most land services are provided online. The aim of this workshop is to bring together stakeholders from the government, civil society and the community to discuss various land issues, and primarily answer the question: If the future of land governance is digital, then what is the position of local communities within that future?

The overarching questions guiding the workshop are as follows:

  1.  Which policies have been introduced by government to support digitalisation and what challenges have been faced in their implementation?

  2. What new digital paradigms and approaches to land governance are being implemented at the county level?

  3. What role does civil society play in the implementation of digital technology in land administration?

  4. How has rapid urbanisation in Kajiado impacted communal land ownership?

References

Ardhisasa (2023). What is Ardhisasa? Ardhisasa (lands.go.ke)

Manji, Ambreena (2021). Dispossession is nine tenths of the law. BIEA Annual Lecture. BIEA Annual Lecture 2021 - YouTube

Mwathane Ibrahim (2021). The Conversion of Land Titles in Kenya. The Why. What and When. THE CONVERSION OF TITLE DEEDS IN KENYA: THE WHY, WHAT AND WHEN? – Institution of Surveyors of Kenya (isk.or.ke)

Wasserman G. (1973). The Independence Bargain, Kenya, Europeans and the Land Issue. 1960 - 62, Journal of Commonwealth Political Studies, Columbia University.

SymposiumGabriela Bazzo