Kenyans unhappy with reforms, says report

By Athman Amran

Majority of Kenyans are not satisfied with the performance of key land reform institutions, a research by Land Development and Governance Institute (LDGI), has indicated.

According to the report released on Tuesday by LDGI director, Ibrahim M Mwathane, 58 per cent of Kenyans are not satisfied at all with the performance of the Ministry of Lands, the State Law Office and Parliament.

Only about 12 percent of those interviewed last week in 30 counties are satisfied with the work of the three key land reform institutions.

“The Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC), the Kenya Law Reform Commission and the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) are perceived to be performing quite well though perceptions of KACC are on the decline,” Mwathane said during a press briefing at a Nairobi hotel.

At the same time 85.5 per cent of Kenyans feel that the land reform process is not inclusive with only 14.5 percent feeling that it was inclusive.

“Kenyans perceive the process not to be inclusive, participatory and consultative enough,” the report indicated.

The report pointed out that Kenyans have fairly clear and high expectations on implementation with regard to key principles like good land management and governance.

Kenyans fear that some key and influential losers when land reforms are effected, who include the Ministry of Lands, the Presidency and beneficiaries of grabbed public land, could place barriers to the implementation process.

The Lands ministry would lose power to allocate and manage land, the presidency would lose powers to allocate public land and alleged grabbers would have their land repossessed.

The LDGI said that the implementation process has been dogged by lack or cosmetic stakeholder consultations, lack of implementation framework, insufficient public education and poor service delivery by the Ministry of Lands.

LDGI directors Mwathane, Mwenda K Makathimo and Prof J Kiamba have called for the immediate establishment of the National Land Commission (NLC) to bridge the transition vacuum.

He said the NLC would drive issues relating to the implementation framework, reform legislation, improved service delivery, public education and other aspects of land reform.

They also called on the government to review and re-organise the existing land administration structure in the Ministry of Lands.

There are however some gains, in the implementation process, which include the initiation of the computerisation of land records at Ministry of lands and the passing of the Environment and Land Matrimonial Property by parliament.