Date
09.09.2024

Indigenous communities ​advocating for land rights

Topic: Policy Dialogue
Policy Dialogue
Human Rights & Civ. Soc.
Gender Equality
Learn&Share: knowhow3000
East Africa

problem & solution

The experience was made in two different wards: Magadi and Ewaso O Nkidong’i. While both wards face challenges regarding land rights the circumstances differ. Magadi sits on undivided communal land whereas Ewuaso O Nkidong’i has already been subdivided into private land. In Magadi people are unaware of the Kenyan Community Land Act 2016 (CLA) and traditional practices and customs keep women and other marginalized groups from accessing, using and owning land. In Ewuaso O Nkidong’i the overlapping of boundaries causes unrest and threatens the peace in the community.

The solution was

  • to improve knowledge and community attitudes of the Community Land Act 2016 (CLA)​
  • to build skills and social support towards CLA 2016​
  • to cooperate with leaders and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees.

THE EXPERIENCE

  • Using the "expectation sizing tool" a pre-project consensus of expectations was reached. A Community Land Act 2016 information campaign and sensitization was realized through awareness creation-based workshops.
  • In addition fora were held to collect community recommendations to the act and to present these recommendations to county government officials.
  • To resolve the issue of boundary overlap, the project worked with Kajiado County Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees (ADRs) to ensure that the pending cases are reduced.
  • JHC worked closely with the department of lands and is currently pushing for adoption of the recommendations given and made to the Act by communities. ​
01

Challenges

01

  • changing political context​
  • gender stereotypes and gender roles that keep women from participating in project activities​
  • ethnic/tribal differences​
  • bureaucracy of policy development and reshuffles within county departments​
02

Impact

02

  • land issues on access and ownership propagated to the community​
  • improved number of women take part in decisive meetings​
  • community recommendations to CLA 2016 collected
03

Lessons Learned

03

  • utilizing local and international instruments​
  • focus on women and youth as change agents​
  • collaboration with gatekeepers, civil society and religious leaders improve decision-making processes and contributed to ownership by communities​
Realisation period 2020-2021
Location Kajiado County, Kenya
Further reading

Visit JHC's website

Your choice regarding cookies

This website required cookies in order to function. Technically required cookies stored locally do not collect any personal data. Further technically required cookies are stored by the providers of third party applications.
Additionally, non-essential cookies are collected for analytical purpuses.

You can find out more by visiting our cookie policy linked below.