The Land Governance program area at Kenya Land Alliance focuses on the laws, processes, and structures through which decisions are made about access to land and its use. Through this program, we also interrogate the manner in which those decisions are implemented and enforced, and the way in which competing interests in land are managed.

Land governance, therefore, encompasses statutory, customary, religious, and informal institutions. It includes state structures such as land agencies, courts and ministries, and municipalities responsible for land, as well as informal land related duty bearers and traditional bodies. 

The concept of Land Governance Program at KLA covers the legal and policy framework for land, as well as traditional practices governing land transactions, inheritance, and dispute resolution. In short, it is fundamentally about power and the political economy of the land.

The program premised on the fact that an integrated system for managing land, anchored in the genuine participation of stakeholders, is crucial for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to reducing poverty and sharing prosperity.

Engagement with Stakeholders

Despite a comprehensive legal framework providing for the protection and registration of community land, county governments have not been keen on assisting the communities through the process. KLA has enhanced the capacities of communities in Turkana, Wajir, and Taita Taveta to register and protect their common interest in Community Land and resources.

Through persistent engagement with stakeholders at both the national and county levels, KLA has worked tirelessly to strengthen land governance processes and advocate for policies and laws that protect the land rights of communities in Taita Taveta, Wajir, and Turkana counties. This effort has helped to promote greater transparency and accountability in land governance, ensuring that communities have a say in the management of their resources.