From spectators to stakeholders: How formal land rights are empowering Marsabit communities

Community Land Management Committee members stand for approval by the public in Urana and Dambalafachana areas during a land registration process./STEPHEN ASTARIKO

For generations, vast stretches of community land in Marsabit county belonged to everyone, yet legally,  no one owned them.

Across the arid plains of northern Kenya, pastoralist communities grazed livestock on ancestral land guided largely by tradition, oral agreements and communal understanding.

But without formal registration and recognised governance structures, communities often found themselves vulnerable to land disputes, exclusion from major decisions, and uncertainty over ownership and resource rights.

Now, a quiet but potentially transformative revolution is unfolding in Marsabit.

For the first time, residents of Uran, Sololo and Turbi wards are electing community land management committee members and formally registering their communal land under the Community Land Act.

Mzee Iya Guyo,70, who explained that he has never witnessed formal land registration in the area for over seven decades. /STEPHEN ASTARIKO

To residents, the process represents far more than paperwork.

It is about identity, inclusion, dignity and power, the power to protect ancestral land, negotiate development on fair terms and finally have a say in decisions affecting their future.

Under tents pitched in dusty trading centres and village grounds this week, elderly men, women, youth and persons living with disabilities gathered to participate in elections many described as historic.

Leaders and community land management committee members during a land registration process/STEPHEN ASTARIKO

“In my entire life, this is the first time I am witnessing our community putting its land on record,” he said quietly after participating in the exercise.

Guyo said for years, conflicts over pasture and boundaries have divided communities because there were no clear structures adding that formal registration will help reduce the disputes.

For decades, pastoralist communities across Northern Kenya have relied on communal grazing systems that allowed seasonal migration in search of water and pasture.

While the system sustained livelihoods for generations, the absence of formal ownership structures often complicated efforts to resolve conflicts or engage with external investors seeking land for development projects.

Uran DCC Stepehen Kaloki during a land registration CLMC election process in Uran area /STEPHEN ASTARIKO

The election of community land management committees is expected to create legally recognised structures that will oversee land governance, represent community interests and participate in decision-making over investments and resource use.

Residents say the changes are already challenging long-standing social norms in a region where women and marginalised groups historically had little voice in land matters.

Among those celebrating the process is Hawo Jirma from Dambalafachana, who described the registration exercise as a turning point for pastoralist women.

“For many years, women were excluded from discussions about land ownership and community decisions. Now we are being included and allowed to participate. It gives us hope that future generations of women will have a voice,” she said.

Traditionally, land governance within many pastoralist communities was dominated by male elders, leaving women, youth and persons living with disabilities largely sidelined despite being directly affected by decisions over grazing areas, settlements and natural resources.

But the ongoing exercise is increasingly being viewed as an opportunity to build a more inclusive governance system.

Mustafa Jirma Molu, a resident living with disability, said the process had given people like him a sense of recognition rarely experienced in community affairs.

“We are happy because even persons with disabilities are now being involved in land matters. This shows that everybody in the community matters,” Mustapha said.

Administrators and land officials say the registration exercise could also help address one of the region’s most persistent challenges, recurring conflict over land and resources.

Uran deputy county commissioner Stephen Kaloki described the process as a major milestone for pastoralist communities seeking lasting peace and improved governance.

“Formal land registration will foster harmonious coexistence among communities and help minimise disputes related to pasture and boundaries,” he said.

Kaloki noted that despite decades of independence, many pastoralist regions have remained largely disconnected from formal land governance systems enjoyed in other parts of the country.

Isolo and Marsabit land registration officer John Wanjoi /STEPHEN ASTARIKO

“This is not just about land documents. It is about communities finally experiencing governance reforms, dispute resolution mechanisms and structured representation,” Kaloki said.

Beyond conflict resolution, county officials believe community land registration could unlock new economic opportunities and attract responsible investment into northern Kenya.

Marsabit county chief officer for lands Galm Guyo said legal recognition of community land creates certainty for both residents and investors.

He said the process could help communities negotiate fair benefit-sharing agreements whenever major projects are proposed on their land.

“For many years, communities watched development happen around them without having meaningful participation,” he said. “With formal registration, they can now negotiate from a position of strength.”

Marsabit has increasingly attracted interest from investors due to its vast natural resources, renewable energy potential and strategic location linking Kenya to Ethiopia.

However, concerns over land ownership and representation have often complicated development discussions.

Officials now argue that organised community land governance structures could help ensure investments benefit local populations while reducing disputes that frequently derail projects.

Isiolo and Marsabit land registration officer John Wanjoi said the exercise is being conducted in phases and has already successfully facilitated the election of community land management committee members in several areas.

He said the process will transform communities from passive spectators into recognised stakeholders with authority over how their ancestral land is utilised.

“Community land registration gives residents the power to participate in decisions involving investments and development projects,” Wanjoi said.

For many residents, that shift in power may become the most significant outcome of all.

In a region where communities have historically felt marginalised from national development conversations, the ability to influence decisions over land, resources and investment is being viewed as a long-overdue step toward inclusion and self-determination.

The ongoing registration process has been funded by the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) in collaboration with local NGOs, county and national government.