The government has opened public participation on a five-year plan aimed at speeding up the registration of community land across Kenya.
The Draft Community Land Mass Registration Master Plan 2026-2031 targets the registration of 348 community lands and is expected to cost about KSh2.22 billion.
The plan was prepared by the Ministry of Lands in collaboration with the National Land Commission (NLC) and other stakeholders.
It seeks to address some of the challenges that have slowed down community land registration, including land disputes, unclear boundaries, inadequate funding and limited technical capacity.
Under the proposal, the government estimates that about KSh6.37 million will be required for each community targeted in the programme.
The registration process will begin with identifying the communities and putting in place structures to manage the land.
Officials will then work with residents to identify and agree on boundaries before the land is surveyed and mapped.
The government plans to use satellite imagery and other digital tools to make the mapping process faster. Trained local residents may also be involved in the exercise.
Where disputes arise over boundaries or community membership, the plan proposes the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to settle them without lengthy court cases.
Once the boundaries are agreed upon and the land surveyed, the information will be entered into the government’s digital land management system, ArdhiSasa, before community title deeds are issued.
The plan also provides for the identification and separate registration of public facilities located on community land, including schools, roads, health centres and markets where they qualify as public land.
Only 64 Community Lands Registered
The government says the registration of community land has remained slow more than a decade after the enactment of the Community Land Act.
According to the draft plan, only 64 community lands had been registered by the time it was prepared.
Of these, 48 were formerly group ranches, while 16 were former trust lands.
The registered community lands are spread across counties including Samburu, Laikipia, West Pokot, Turkana, Taita Taveta, Baringo, Kajiado, Garissa and Tana River.
The new plan targets the registration of 50 community lands in 2026, with the number expected to rise to 83 by 2030.
The Ministry of Lands is now inviting members of the public and other stakeholders to submit their views on the draft plan before it is finalised.
The deadline for submitting views is October 8, 2026.