The Kenya Land Act
The Kenya Land Act is a law that was enacted in 2012 to give effect to Article 68 of the Constitution of Kenya, which provides for the principles of land policy and management. The Act aims to revise, consolidate and rationalize land laws; to provide for the sustainable administration and management of land and land based resources, and for connected purposes1. The Act covers various aspects of land such as forms of tenure, methods of acquisition, management of public land, settlement of land disputes, conversion of land, compulsory acquisition, and land administration1. The Act also lays down the roles and functions of the National Land Commission, the Cabinet Secretary responsible for land matters, and the county governments in relation to land matters1.
The Kenya Land Act is one of the three main laws that govern land issues in Kenya, along with the Land Registration Act, 2012 and the National Land Commission Act, 2012. These laws were amended by the Land Laws (Amendment) Act, 2016 to address some of the challenges and gaps in the implementation of the land reforms2. The Land Registration Act, 2012 provides for the registration of titles to land and the devolution of land registration services to the county level3. The National Land Commission Act, 2012 establishes the National Land Commission as an independent constitutional body with the mandate to manage public land on behalf of the national and county governments, conduct research on land issues, initiate investigations on present or historical land injustices, and encourage alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in land conflicts
