In the aftermath of the post-election crisis, the issue of land has gained increased urgency. Land reforms represent a central part of Kenya’s reform agenda and indeed, the national reconciliation agenda as negotiated by President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga under the aegis of Kofi Annan in early 2008.

Land has been and remains a politically sensitive and culturally complex issue for Kenya. Kenya’s history with regard to the land question is characterized by indications of a breakdown in land administration, disparities in land ownership, tenure insecurity and conflict. It was therefore against this backdrop that land reform was identified as an essential component of Kenya’s National Dialogue and Reconciliation (KNDR) process and in particular, agenda item 4 on addressing long standing issues.

Land is in no doubt the most important asset in the lives of Kenyans. It is a factor of production which is core to the economic activities of this country. The advent of settlers and colonialism in East Africa placed land in a high level of importance than before. It is not a unique situation for Kenya. Wars have been fought world over with ownership of land and other resources associated with it being at the center of controversy. When colonialism set in, many people were displaced from their original homes.

Until recently, the legal framework on land was marred by the existence of multiple land laws, some of which were incompatible. These laws, coupled with the rampant land injustices hampered efficacy in land ownership, management and administration of land. As a result, the Constitution of Kenya (CoK) has changed the laws on land and the dispute resolution institutions.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Kenya Government housing policies and strategies for housing the urban poor in Kenya, and how the citizen have benefited from the scheme/plan. Objective of the article was to examine the effectiveness of Housing policies and their implementation strategies in the provision of low-cost housing to the urban poor in Kisumu City. The research question was, how effective are the various Kenya Government Housing Policies and implementation strategies targeting the provisions of low-cost Housing to the urban poor in Kisumu City?

Inequalities are linked with poverty and sustainable development, and have patently hindered development and stalled progress. Acting together, these inequalities further entrench the deprivation suffered by certain groups and individuals and manifest themselves clearly in the way space is used. The fight against inequality requires the establishment of a new governance paradigm which coordinates efforts, strengthens formal coordination mechanisms, establishes joint responsibilities and provides the resources and incentives necessary at every level of government.

The Constitution of Kenya provides that every citizen has the right to property. The provision ensures that an individual or group of people that acquire land have the protection to own this property if acquired lawfully. Individuals living in informal settlements then have a right to have property when acquired through proper means. Even though there are processes in progress to address the issue of securing tenure rights in informal settlements by the government.

According to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1996), “Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are persons or a group of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid effects of armed conflict, situation of generalised violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognised State border”. There are more IDPs in the world than refugees.

The practice of forced eviction is a global phenomenon. Between 1995 and 2005, a survey covering only ten countries, showed that over ten million people were forcibly evicted. These people were left homeless and subject to deeper poverty, discrimination and social exclusion. A number of such evictions involve entire communities of tens or even hundreds of thousands of people. Such communities are invariably evicted against their will and in most cases without any compensation or alternative housing.

Africa has half of the world’s 25 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). These IDPs are citizens displaced by development projects, natural disasters or violence. Violence, linked to civil war or repression, is the predominant cause of displacement. As respected Kenyan lawyer Makau wa Mutua emphasizes, bad government is at the root of this tragedy “with the most repressive governments producing the largest numbers of IDPs”.[1] 

Internal displacement in Kenya is a complex and multi-faceted social problem that revolves around and reflects unresolved issues of land and property, as well as the struggle for the control of political and economic resources. These intricate and sensitive issues, manifested in ethnic conflict, violent cattle raids, and government evictions characterised by human rights abuses have displaced people throughout the country.

The cost of buying land and homes is set to rise significantly as the market factors in new valuation charges that have more than doubled for most asset classes.

Lands minister James Orengo introduced the new charges through an amendment to the forms and fees section of the Valuers Act, paving the way for their application in the property market beginning this month.

Valuation fees for certain classes of land or homes have increased by up to 400 per cent, piling upward pressure on sale prices.