The Transformation Of Kenya Land Policy(1890—2016)

From Mau Mau Movement in the colonial period to the redistribution of land after independence,from the election conflict in the 1990 s to the drafting and formulation of Kenya’s new constitution,the land issue has always been the core issue of Kenyan politics.This article focuses on land policy since the colonial period in Kenya and focuses on how Kenya’s land policy has shaped political realities.Kenya’s land system can be traced directly to the historical process of British conquest.It has never been inclusive and fair.The land plundering of Kenya led to the famous Mau Mau Movement.Under the influence of agricultural radicalism and the wave of independence,the power of the colonial government began to gradually shift to the new government of Kenya,and the power and system to control the land were basically reserved for the conservatives of Kenya.The elites in the post-colonial era have never fundamentally reformed this land system.In Kenya’s contemporary political history,the land issue has always been its political focus,which includes two aspects: who has the right to land;the legitimacy of land distribution.These two issues are more important than the management efficiency and corruption arising from land distribution.This has led to two dimensions of land conflicts.One is the struggle between natives and immigrants over land distribution.Another dimension is that the state power controls the distribution of land,allocating land resources mainly to the rich,not the poor.In order to divert attention from the class privilege and corrupt politics,Kenya government divides the people into different ethnic groups and manipulates them to fight each other in order to maintain power.Unfair distribution of land eventually led to ethnic violence.Under pressure from all sides,the government began to reform its land policy,resulting in an important new constitution.The adoption of Kenya’s new constitution did not allow the people to reach a broad consensus.Although it limits the president’s power to arbitrarily allocate land,it does not mean that land distribution will be depoliticized.In recent years,land governance reform has made good progress,but it has also met with resistance.The vested interests have established a strong control and exclusion system in land,thus increasing the difficulty of reform.The challenge for reformers is to overcome these powerful opposition forces with creative mobilization strategies,leveraging not only the 2010 Constitution and the courts but also public outrage and stronger civil society organization.