Community land owners stage protest in Nairobi over land registration

Officials of lobby forums representing persons coming from marginalised communities on Thursday staged protests in Nairobi over the delay by the government to register community-owned land parcels.

The lobby officials, from the northern part of Kenya, North Rift and coastal counties under the Community Land Owners Association of Kenya (CLOAK) said they were representing community landowners across

13 counties.

Led by their Chairperson Paul Chepsoi and Secretary General Rahma Wako, they presented a petition to the National Assembly after their march where they called on members of Parliament to address persistent delays and challenges in registering community land, especially former trust lands.

"Today we are marching to Parliament to deliver a petition, signed by over 1,500 people from 11 counties, demanding the National Assembly take immediate action to accelerate the registration process," said Chepsoi.

Chepsoi said despite the enactment of the Community Land Act (Cap. 287), progress towards securing community lands, especially unregistered community lands or former trust lands, remains slow, with only 50

community lands registered—only one of which is a former trust land.

"The slow pace of implementation leaves countless communities vulnerable to land grabbing, resource exploitation, and inadequate compensation in cases of compulsory land acquisition," said Chepsoi.

The group revealed that critical issues delaying the registration of their parcels of land include inadequate funding for community land registration, a lack of personnel, and unclear roles between national and county governments.

Officials of lobby forums representing persons coming from marginalised communities stage a protest in Nairobi over the delay by the government to register community-owned land parcels. (Photo: Justine Ondieki, EV)

Wako on her part noted that the impact of registration delays on communities includes the inability of the communities to receive fair compensation from government and private projects on their land.

"Our community members are not able to access redress for land rights violations, or setting up sustainable land use plans," said Wako.

Conflict

The group also says unregistered land creates conflicts over land and natural resources, threatening lives and livelihoods and reducing communities’ resilience to climate-related challenges like food insecurity.

They want MPs to summon the Cabinet Secretary for Lands Alice Wahome to explain the status of, and bottlenecks to, registration of community land registration, specifically unregistered community lands or former

trust lands while providing a clear action plan to complete the registration of community lands within one year.

In their request, they are asking lawmakers to allocate sufficient and dedicated funding for community land registration in the upcoming

budget.

Officials of lobby forums representing persons coming from marginalised communities stage a protest in Nairobi over the delay by the government to register community-owned land parcels. (Photo: Justine Ondieki, EV)

The group also wants parliamentarians to ensure community land registrars are employed and posted in all counties to expedite the process.

In their grievances, the officials also want county governments with community lands to report on the status of community land inventories.

"We want the Ministry of Lands compelled to roll out a comprehensive adjudication programme, and review the Community Land Act to address procedural bottlenecks and allow more streamlined registration processes," added Wako.

The Principal Sergeant at Arms in the National Assembly Abdi Salat received the group's petition.

Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere joined the officials in their march and in receiving their petition.

"I am happy that our people are united and are demanding their rights," said Korere.

Korere said the petition will be handled by the the Pastoralists Parliamentary Group where she is a member.