The dynamics of land deals in the Tana Delta, Kenya
Arale Nunow, Abdirizak
The Tana delta is within the Tana Delta District that was curved out in 2007 from the larger Tana River District in Coast province. The district headquarters is situated in Garsen and the delta is a common use area for the communities inhabiting the area. The delta is named after the Tana River, the largest river in Kenya that stretches over a total length of 1,000 km. The river originates from Mt. Kenya and Aberdares ranges in central Kenya and has a catchment area of about 95,000 Km2, which is approximately 17% of Kenyaas landmass. The delta ranges between two kilometers and up to forty-two kilometers in width. Large tracts of land within the Tana Delta have been set aside for large industrial scale farming and for mining by government and private agencies, as well as by foreign governments. In addition, settlement schemes have taken up some of the most important dry season pastures within the Tana delta and communities from outside the pastoral areas were settled there to undertake crop farming. The delta is therefore under unprecedented threat as corporations and foreign agencies scramble to exploit its riches for export crops, bio-fuels and minerals. While the delta provides immense environmental services to the country, developments that do not take the special circumstances of the delta into consideration may lead to the collapse of most of its services.
Event: International Conference on Global Land Grabbing
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