Kenya Seeks Public Views on Ksh2.2bn Plan to Register 348 Community Lands
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Kenya's Ministry of Lands has opened public consultation on a draft five-year master plan that would spend about Ksh2.22 billion to register 348 community lands, aiming to speed up a process that has lagged for more than a decade.
The Ministry of Lands, working with the National Land Commission (NLC) and other stakeholders, has drafted the Community Land Mass Registration Master Plan 2026-2031, which seeks to accelerate registration by addressing delays linked to land disputes, unclear boundaries, inadequate funding and limited technical capacity.
The plan estimates the exercise will cost Ksh2.22 billion, or about Ksh6.37 million per community, covering everything from public awareness and the identification of land boundaries to surveying and the issuance of title documents.
Under the proposals, registration will begin by identifying the communities and establishing the structures needed to manage their land, before the actual registration process starts. Officials will then work with communities to identify and agree on boundaries, followed by surveying and mapping of the parcels. The plan proposes satellite imagery and other digital tools to speed up mapping, and trained local residents could be engaged to assist.
Disputes over boundaries and membership would be handled during the process, with alternative dispute resolution proposed to avoid lengthy court battles where possible. Once boundaries are confirmed and land surveyed, the details will be entered into the government's digital land system, ArdhiSasa, before community titles are issued. Public facilities located within community land — including schools, roads, health centres and markets — would be identified and registered separately where they qualify as public land.
Community land registration has remained slow for more than a decade since the Community Land Act was enacted, with only 64 community lands registered at the time of preparation of the plan. Of those, 48 were formerly group ranches and 16 former trust lands, spread across counties including Samburu, Laikipia, West Pokot, Turkana, Taita Taveta, Baringo, Kajiado, Garissa and Tana River.
The plan targets 50 community lands in 2026, rising to 83 by 2030, with public views invited by October 8, 2026, before the plan is finalised.