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Less Than Two Percent Of Women In Kenya Own Land

samrack February 18, 2020

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Less Than Two Percent Of Women In Kenya Own Land

The National Land Commission (NLC) has revealed that only one percent of women in the country legally own land. Less than 2 percent of title deeds issued in Kenya since 2013 went to women.

NLC have blamed cultural practices and weak State policies for the marginalization of women in land ownership. According to James Tuitoek, a commissioner at the State agency, there is urgent need to address the anomaly.

Prof Tuitoek said NLC undertook the study to establish the challenges around land ownership before making its recommendations, He noted that friendly policies should be introduced to protect women so that they can own land.

Land inheritance continues to foster inequality in the country, a woman’s right to own property, inherit and manage or dispose of her property has been under attack for long from customary practices that grant women only secondary rights to land and property through male relatives.

Food and Agriculture Organisation country representative Tobias Takavarasha says if land owned by women increases by atleast one per cent, the country will record a major improvement in food production. “We are challenging the government to address this issue since women play a key role in food production.”