This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
On July 6, 2020, land rights and management issues took center stage in Kenya's development agenda following a series of land evictions in Ruai.
The evictions, which were prompted by the ministries of Land and Water and Sanitation reclaiming 3,000 acres of land for the expansion of the Dandora sewerage treatment plant, have raised questions about the country's future development trajectory.
According to James Odongo, the issue of land tenure insecurity is deeply rooted in Kenya's history of land administration, which has been shaped by territorial race segregation and later reforms that have had little impact on most citizens.
Odongo argues that land reform strategies must be approached from a multi-pronged perspective, taking into account the country's past and the current neoliberal economic landscape.
He suggests that the use of blockchain-based land registry could help address land grabbing and encroachment into public reserves, while also making it easier for urban planners to implement sustainable practices such as land banking.
However, Odongo notes that land reform must prioritize the rights and livelihoods of vulnerable groups, including the urban poor, and ensure that large-scale development does not come at their expense.
