Kenya Land Alliance having a difficult time

Note from Robin Palmer of Oxfam, Oct 2004

As many will know, there are a host of land issues currently sizzling away in Kenya, including historical Maasai and coastal land claims and the now widely leaked Ndungu Report into past land grabbing.

Last Saturday (Oct 16th) in Mombasa the Kenya Land Alliance (KLA) sought to launch its serious, constructive issues paper on addressing historical injustices as part of its submission to the group formulating a new National Land Policy for Kenya. But they were stopped from doing so 'for security reasons.' See 'Land lobby vows to press on' (East African Standard, 18 October 2004)

Its coordinator, Odenda Lumumba, wrote asking me to post the paper on the Oxfam GB land rights website in solidarity, which I was happy to do. Since then, Catherine Gatundu, KLA deputy coordinator, has written that:

'Most of the opposition we are receiving on this issue is fuelled by lack of information and it is therefore necessary to disseminate it as widely as possible.'

I'm happy to do this and would ask that people follow her suggestion.

The National Land Policy in Kenya: Addressing Historical Injustices

Kenya Land Alliance, Issues Paper No.2 of 2004

Summary:

Contains the rationale for addressing historical injustices in a National Land Policy; the problem; the squatter problem; the coastal land problem; displacement occasioned by land clashes; lingering claims to land by certain communities; minority communities and their claims to land; neighbouring communities; the Numbian question; conclusion.

Each section contains a policy statement with suggestions as to what the National Land Policy should state. KLA's National Coordinator hopes that this Paper will initiate a well-informed discourse and public debate on the need for policy statements on historical injustices and will strengthen the campaign for a fair and just National Land Policy.

Download the full paper (75K.pdf file)