The National Land Commission (NLC) is a constitutional commission established under Article 67 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The Commission was operationalized by the National Land Commission (NLC) Act, 2012, the Land Act, 2012 and the Land Registration Act, 2012.
The Commission is mandated by the Constitution to perform the following functions:
- To manage public land on behalf of the national and county governments;
- To recommend a national land policy to the national government;
- To advise the national government on a comprehensive programme for the registration of title in the land throughout Kenya;
- To conduct research related to land and the use of natural resources, and make recommendations to appropriate authorities;
- To initiate investigations, on its own initiative or on a complaint, into present or historical land injustices, and recommend appropriate redress;
- To encourage the application of traditional dispute resolution mechanisms in land conflicts;
- To assess tax on land and premiums on immovable property in any area designated by law; and
- To monitor and have oversight responsibilities over land use planning throughout the country.
The Commission is led by the Chairman and EIGHT Commissioners who are appointed to serve for a non-renewable six-year term. Following the operationalisation of the Commission through the enactment of the various Statutes, the inaugural group of commissioners were gazetted on February 20, 2013, and they began their term on February 23, 2013.
The second group of Commissioners took office on November 15, 2019. Among their achievements thus far, the second group of Commissioners is credited with developing the second Strategic Plan 2021-2026 that guides the commission to implement its mandate besides bringing on board more development partners to support the Commission’s implementation of its programmes.