Nairobi
October, 12 2023
The National Land Commission with the support of development partners has conducted a one-day public participation forum on Draft Recommendations towards the review of Sessional Paper No. 3 of 2009 on the National Land Policy.
This is in line with our mandate ‘To recommend a National Land Policy to the national government’.
The first National Land Policy was adopted in 2009 and it is now more than 10 years since then which necessitates a review.
The overall objective of the National Land Policy is to provide a mechanism through which land is held, used and managed in an equitable, efficient, productive and sustainable manner.
Specifically, the policy seeks to: Reform and streamline land rights administration to ensure the efficient effective and equitable delivery of land use, identify the emerging constitutional and legal provision gaps for sustainable land ownership and management in Kenya, promote institutional linkages for improved land governance, improve efficiency and transparency in land administration and management.
The session had the objective of critiquing the draft recommendations. It involved breakout sessions of smaller groups on different thematic areas and give recommendations, inputs, and suggestions in critically informing the revised National Land Policy.
The policy recommendations have focused on key land thematic areas thereby broadening the scope of the land policy in line with the broad definition of land in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
NLC Chairman Gershom Otachi stated that besides relooking at the themes that were incorporated in the 2009 policy such as land tenure, land use management, land administration, institutional and implementation framework issues, the recommendations cover land information management, food security and agriculture, natural resources, environment and conservation, investment, infrastructure and economy, and climate change.
The recommendations are aimed at building on the achievements of the previous policy as well as accelerating land reforms.
“I thank the stakeholders for finding time to present their views in the development of the second National Land policy in Kenya”, said Hon Comm. Esther Mathenge.
“Public participation is an overarching national value and principle contained in Article 10 of the Constitution of Kenya. Participation of the public is the deliberative process by which citizens, civil society organizations and government actors are involved in policy-making and implementation before decisions are made”, stated CEO Kabale Tache during her opening remarks.
The National Land Commission team was represented by Chairman Gershom Otachi, Commissioners Reginald Okumu, Hon.Tiyyah Galgalo, Hon. Esther Mathenge and CEO Kabale Tache.
Also present were Sam Orlando, Convener Land Non-State Actors, Eric Nyadimo ISK President and a representative from CoG Eng. Jaffar Lodenyo among others.