Authors :
Evanson Njiru Nyaga
Volume/Issue :
Volume 5 - 2020, Issue 3 - March
Google Scholar :
https://goo.gl/DF9R4u
Scribd :
https://bit.ly/3e9iObe
Abstract :
Land in Kenya is both complex and emotive
as a number of people have lost their lives over it due to
high degree of inequality in ownership, access and use.
Based on where people live, their ancestry and form of
land acquisition have often fueled land related conflicts.
This study sought to understand the determinants of
land conflicts and their impacts on social cohesion in
Nakuru, one of the cosmopolitan counties in Kenya. The
study is grounded on these objectives: to establish
historical development of Land Tenure disputes, to
examine deployed Land Tenure systems and challenges
to secure land ownership and their implications on
social cohesion. The study is underpinned on the
Entitlement Theory and used mixed method research
design with a sample size of 500 respondents. The
research established that historical land disputes have
negative implications on social cohesion; deployed land
tenure systems did not provide necessary security and
stability to land owners; while issues of negative
ethnicity, divisive politics, widespread corruption,
unresolved historical injustices, among other factors,
impede the attainment of secure land ownership in
Kenya, leading to conflicts. The study recommends for
sustainable efforts to ensure secure and stable land
ownership, enforcement of laws criminalizing political
incitements and ethnic hate speeches; frantic fight
against corruption, involvement of communities in
seeking solution to historical land injustices and
sensitizing community members against negative to
enhance social cohesion.
Keywords :
Land Conflicts, Social Cohesion, Land Ownership
Land in Kenya is both complex and emotive
as a number of people have lost their lives over it due to
high degree of inequality in ownership, access and use.
Based on where people live, their ancestry and form of
land acquisition have often fueled land related conflicts.
This study sought to understand the determinants of
land conflicts and their impacts on social cohesion in
Nakuru, one of the cosmopolitan counties in Kenya. The
study is grounded on these objectives: to establish
historical development of Land Tenure disputes, to
examine deployed Land Tenure systems and challenges
to secure land ownership and their implications on
social cohesion. The study is underpinned on the
Entitlement Theory and used mixed method research
design with a sample size of 500 respondents. The
research established that historical land disputes have
negative implications on social cohesion; deployed land
tenure systems did not provide necessary security and
stability to land owners; while issues of negative
ethnicity, divisive politics, widespread corruption,
unresolved historical injustices, among other factors,
impede the attainment of secure land ownership in
Kenya, leading to conflicts. The study recommends for
sustainable efforts to ensure secure and stable land
ownership, enforcement of laws criminalizing political
incitements and ethnic hate speeches; frantic fight
against corruption, involvement of communities in
seeking solution to historical land injustices and
sensitizing community members against negative to
enhance social cohesion.
Keywords :
Land Conflicts, Social Cohesion, Land Ownership
