Tackling land related corruption in Kenya
Ndungu, Paul N.
I would like to start my presentation by giving a brief historical perspective of the land law system of Kenya. This will greatly help all of us to follow the topic of Tackling land related corruption in Kenyaa. You will be aware that in 1885, several European imperial powers met in Berlin, Germany, to discuss the partition of the African Continent amongst themselves. The meeting led to the signing of the Treaty of Berlin, under which arbitrary boundary lines were drawn on a map Africa and territories thereby created allocated to the participating European powers. Under this arrangement, Kenya was allocated to Great Britain. The boundary lines were drawn without any consideration of the position on the ground, such that sections of people like the Masai of East Africa found themselves belonging to two different Countries namely Kenya and the then Tanganyika. Following the partition, each European power sought to domesticate the Treaty of Berlin. In this regard, Great Britainns Attorney-General advised his Government that from then onwards, Kenya was part of the British Empire, and therefore part of the Kinggs territories, and the Crown or King could deal with the land in the territory in such manner as he or she pleased.
Event: Land Policies Legal Empowerment of the Poor
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