On May 31st 2018, ILEG organised a county level Extractive Sector Forum (ESF) at the Cradle Tented Camp in Lodwar, Turkana County in Northern Kenya. The theme of the forum was ‘Land Rights and Land Acquisition for the Extractives Sector”.
The forum was attended by officials from the National Land Commission (NLC), civil society, academia and professional working in Turkana. This policy brief summarises discussions and recommendations from the forum, as well as from other engagements and interactions with local community, government and other extractives and community development practioners in Kenya.
The policy brief explores: the development model and its role in abuse of communal lands; implementation of Kenya’s land laws; procedures for land access and acquisition for the extractive industry; the role of local community structures; and the threat of the extractive industry to pastoralists, fisher folks and smallholder farmers.
The policy brief gives a raft of recommendations which revolve around the need for: national and county government to speedily and diligently implement the Community Land Act, 2016; and national government to develop clear guidance on compensation and resettlement.
Other include the need for: government, investors and all stakeholders to recognize, respect and work with traditional community structures during land access and acquisition processes, and to adopt the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC); and to stave off land speculators.
Read the full Policy Brief here.