The Debate · Kenya
Who Owns the Land?
Land was at the heart of Mau Mau, and it remains the most politically charged question in Kenya today.
Colonial treaties in 1904 and 1911 moved the Maasai off their best grazing lands. At independence, settler farms were sold rather than returned, and much land went to the politically connected. A 2004 government inquiry, the Ndung'u Report, found vast illegal allocations of public land.
The 2010 constitution created a National Land Commission to investigate historical injustices. In 2017 the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights ruled that Kenya had violated the rights of the Ogiek by evicting them from the Mau Forest.
Timeline
- 1904 & 1911
Anglo-Maasai agreements remove Maasai from central grazing lands.
- 1960s
Million-Acre Scheme resettles some farmers on bought-out settler land.
- 2004
Ndung'u Report exposes illegal land allocations.
- 2012
National Land Commission established.
- 2017
African Court rules in favour of the Ogiek.
Key vocabulary
- Historical land injustice
- Land loss caused by past unfair laws, violence or corruption.
- Title deed
- An official document proving who owns a piece of land.
Discussion prompt
If land was taken 100 years ago, who should receive it back today?
Quiz time
1. Which 2004 report exposed illegal land allocations?
2. Which community lost land in the 1904 and 1911 agreements?
Answer every quiz question correctly above to mark this sub-topic complete.