The University of Nairobi on 23 April 2026 convened a high-level National Stakeholder Engagement Forum to examine the Draft National Land Policy 2025 and assess whether Kenya’s ongoing land reform process is adequately prepared to address the country’s evolving land challenges. The forum brought together government officials, National Land Commission (NLC) commissioners, legal scholars, civil society actors, development partners, and policy experts in a broad consultative dialogue on the future of land governance in Kenya.
At the centre of discussions was the review of Kenya’s 2009 National Land Policy (Sessional Paper No. 3 of 2009), a landmark framework that shaped post-independence land reforms but is now widely viewed as insufficient for addressing current realities such as rapid urbanisation, climate pressures, tenure insecurity, food system challenges, and unresolved historical land injustices.
A major highlight of the forum was a policy readiness scorecard , which evaluated the 2009 policy, the NLC’s 2023 recommendations, and the Draft National Land Policy 2025 across eight criteria, including constitutional alignment, implementation specificity, gender sensitivity, structural integrity, and historical justice. The assessment concluded that while the NLC 2023 document was constitutionally grounded, progressive, and ready for adoption, the Draft National Land Policy 2025 contained “important innovations” but suffered from “catastrophic structural failures,” rendering it unready for adoption in its current form.
Participants agreed that although the 2025 Draft introduces stronger references to climate-responsive land management and constitutional land rights, it falls short in critical areas such as implementation clarity, inclusivity, protection of vulnerable groups, and progressive policy direction. Concerns were also raised over whether the drafting process had been sufficiently participatory and reflective of stakeholder contributions, especially given the apparent divergence between the NLC’s stakeholder-informed 2023 proposals and the current draft.
Discussions throughout the forum emphasized that any revised land policy must remain anchored in the constitutional principles of equity, access, sustainability, and productivity as outlined in Article 60 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Stakeholders stressed the urgent need for reforms that respond to fragmented land holdings, declining agricultural productivity, and growing food insecurity, while also supporting efficient land use and protecting smallholder and community tenure rights.
The relationship between land governance, infrastructure development, and climate resilience also featured prominently. Participants warned that weak integration between land use planning, transport systems, and economic development risks deepening spatial inequality and undermining Kenya’s Vision 2030 aspirations. Development partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO Kenya) and the European Union Delegation in Kenya, underscored the importance of embedding climate adaptation and sustainable land management into the revised policy framework.
Historical land injustices emerged as one of the most sensitive and urgent issues discussed. Stakeholders called for explicit and enforceable mechanisms to address long-standing grievances related to displacement and dispossession, with many expressing support for the stronger provisions contained in the NLC’s 2023 recommendations.
The forum concluded with a commitment to incorporate stakeholder submissions into the ongoing revision of the Draft National Land Policy 2025. The University of Nairobi upheld its role in advancing evidence-based public policy through rigorous legal and institutional analysis aimed at strengthening land governance, food security, climate resilience, and social justice in Kenya. Consolidated recommendations from the forum will be submitted to the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning and the National Land Commission to inform the next phase of policy revision.
