The Civil Society commends the Ministry of Lands for spearheading the important process of developing the Draft National Policy, and affirms that land is central to the livelihoods of most Kenyans and as such its access, use, ownership, administration and distribution are of key national concern. Thus, having critically examined the Draft Policy we do hereby make our position on the way forward on the salient policy proposals of the Draft National Land Policy document.

The Kenya Land Alliance (KLA) organized a two-day workshop in Machakos to brainstorm on important issues that should constitute the Land Reform Process. in addition, come up with a plan of action/activities to be undertaken by various stakeholders. Stakeholder representatives included civil society organizations and NGOs, relevant government departments, local authorities, academicians and lawyers. This report is a summary of issues deliberated.

It is significant that for the first time land is specifically recognized as a constitutional category in the Draft Constitution Bill. This is important because it gives the issue of land the level of visibility that is always associated with constitutional matters, and unlike other ordinary legislation, a Constitution can only be amended by a special majority. The chapter that deals with land in the Draft Constitution Bill is Chapter Eleven under the title Land and Property.

The Kenya Land Alliance takes this opportunity to congratulate the Commission of Inquiry into the Land Law Systems of Kenya (‘Njonjo Commission’) for completing their task, which has painstakingly taken them three years. The KLA fraternity was pleased to hear the president’s remarks that the Njonjo report was a blueprint that would guide the future government in handling the delicate land issues efficiently and justly. Equally delighting was the Mr. Njonjo’s remark that wherever they went the wananchi expressed appreciation of their appointment to look into the land question.

Although The National Land Policy Formulation Process is concentrated on addressing land issues, the reform agenda requires inter- alia that there are policy directions for establishing an equitable framework for economic growth and access to natural resources. The natural resources in question include water, forests, minerals, mineral oils, wildlife, marine resources, fisheries, pastures, and wetlands.

The report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Illegal/Irregular Allocation of Public Land is finally out! Popularly known as the ‘Ndung’u’ Report, the publication of this three-volume document is important to the Kenya Land Alliance for two major reasons. Firstly, the appointment of the Coordinator of the Kenya Land Alliance to the Commission marked a threshold in the relations between KLA and the Government of Kenya.

The Kenya Land Alliance (KLA) is a focal point for information sharing and networking among those pressing for land reform in Kenya. It was formed in 1999 by members of civil society to propose reforms both to the Commission on the Review of Land Laws, appointed by the President, and the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission, appointed by Parliament. Over the last two years, the KLA has coordinated a programme of research on land issues in Kenya by member organisations

Throughout this pocket size booklet, Land Reform Volume 4, KLA proposes that collectively as a nation, and especially during this time of the constitutional review process. The principles outlined be embraced with the purpose of providing women a deliberate opportunity to engage in decision-making as regards land-use,management and ownership.

WEBSITE INTRODUCTION: This report presents a synthesis of the main findings from case studies carried out in six countries in Africa (Ghana, Sierra Leone, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia) and Asia (Laos and Philippines). The findings were disseminated and discussed in multistakeholder initiatives at regional and country level. The report illustrates how poor rural women and men are affected differently by agricultural investments, and demonstrates that they may not benefit equally from emerging opportunities.

WEB INTRODUCTION: The literature on agricultural large-scale land acquisition in Myanmar is rather fragmented and consists mainly of case studies. While these provide key insights into particular stories, they often fail to identify the main patterns and trends at country level. To fill such gaps, this thematic study aims to present an updated synthesis of the genealogy, institutional complexity and the ins and outs of large-scale land acquisition processes for agricultural development in Myanmar.

Women are often the primary users of land for residential and agricultural purposes, but are frequently denied primary and ownership rights to land and other natural resources because of cultural norms. Women are also often excluded from effective participation in the provision of land administration services. This toolkit provides a quick guide for task team leaders of land administration projects, titling components of larger operations, or other land titling initiatives to ensure greater participation by women in the land titling process.