A report for the Embassy of Sweden /Act! project to initiate and implement a community led public land mapping process for Lari Sub-County, Kiambu County Kenya. The project was overseen by Anyona S. Gichuru

1. COMMUNITY LED INVENTORY OF PUBLIC LAND IN LARI
CONSTITUENCY, KIAMBU COUNTY
DATA VALIDATION REPORT
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JUNE 2013

2. REFERENCE:
COMMUNITY LED INVENTORY OF PUBLIC LANDS LARI CONSTITUENCY, KIAMBU COUNTY
SUMMARISED VALIDATION REPORT
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FOR AND ON BEHALF OF GROOTS KENYA (MAY – JUNE 2013)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
We take this earliest opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the contribution of the many persons and institutions
that made the execution of this task a reality. Special mention goes to ACT! and the Swedish Embassy for providing
the funding that made this task a reality and for their unwavering support throughout the program period.
GROOTS Kenya is also humbled by the support provided by our main partners on this task who included among
others KENVO represented by Mr. David Kuria and the County Administration represented by Mr. Bernard Kinyua,
the Deputy County Commissioner, Lari Sub-County as well as the leaders and community members of Lari Sub-
County. Your support, co-ordination, enthusiasm, dedication and unwavering support to this task made it much more
efficient.
GROOTS Kenya remains greatly indebted to the team that took charge of the data validation process (list contained
above) and takes this opportunity to thank Esther Mwaura-Muiru (National Co-ordinator, GROOTS Kenya) for her
support in developing the model and as well as providing overall guidance and management and Anyona S. Gichuru
(Rural Finance and Organizational Development Consultant, CODIT Institute) for their inputs and dedication to this
process.
It may not be possible to mention everyone by name and title but to all who participated in this process in one way or
the other we say “many thanks that can never be enough”. It would not have been possible without you. Your
individual and collective input was a strong pillar to the successful finalization of this task.
Many thanks and God bless you abundantly.
Jedidah Wakonyo Waruhiu
Board Chairperson, GROOTS Kenya
Anyona S. Gichuru
Research, Rural Finance & Organizational
Development Consultant, CODIT Institute
Esther Mwaura-Muiru
National Co-ordinator, GROOTS Kenya
Nancy Sudi
Research Assistant, CODIT Institute
Titus Kuria Mbugua, GROOTS Kenya
Lari Constituency Grassroots Community Lead Team
Nelious Muthoni Njoroge
Lari-Kirenga
Ward
Rose Wairimu Njenga
Nyanduma
Ward
Flaciah Wanjiku Ngige Monicah Mwihaki Kamau
Fresiah Wanjiku Kamau Mary Wairimu Kiarie
Annah Wairimu Ngaruiya
Kamburu
Ward
Joan Wangeci Kinyanjui
Kijabe WardHannah Wangari Chege Margaret Nyambura Muchiri
John Chege kinyanjui Cecilia Nyambura
Hannah Wangui Kiambuthi
Kinale wardLucy Wangui Njoroge
David Ndung’u Chege

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
REFERENCE:...............................................................................................................................................2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: ...............................................................................................................................2
ABBREVIATIONS:.........................................................................................................................................3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................4
1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND:......................................................................................................5
1.1 Introduction and Background of GROOTS Kenya: ........................................................................5
1.2 Background of the project:.............................................................................................................5
1.3 Scope of the Process:....................................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
1.4 Approach and methodologies used: ..............................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
1.5 Limitations experienced during validation:.....................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
2.0 LAND AND PUBLIC LANDS - THE NATIONAL AND LOCAL CONTEXTS........................................................7
2.1 The National Context in Relation to Land: .....................................................................................7
2.2 The National Context in Relation to Public Land:...........................................................................7
2.3 The Current Institutional Framework and Key Functions:..............................................................8
2.4 The Current Context of Public Lands in Lari District: .....................................................................8
3.0 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ON PUBLIC LANDS IN LARI CONSTITUENCY.....................................................10
3.1 Nyanduma Ward:.........................................................................................................................10
3.2 Kijabe Ward:................................................................................................................................17
3.3 Kinale Ward:................................................................................................................................25
3.4 Lari Kirenga .................................................................................................................................31
3.5 Kamburu Ward.............................................................................................................................38
4.0 EMERGING ISSUES, CHALLENGES FACING PUBLIC LAND & CONCLUSION: .............................................44
4.1 Emerging Issues:.........................................................................................................................44
4.2 Challenges facing public lands: ...................................................................................................45
4.3 Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................45
5.0 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................47
ABBREVIATIONS:
ACT - Act Change and Transform (NGO)
AP - Administration Police
CDF - Constituency Development Fund
DCC - District County Commissioner
DLT - District Land Trust
DLB - District Land Board
GoK - Government of Kenya
GROOTS - Grassroots Women Operating Together in Sisterhood
Ha - Hectare
KENVO - Kijabe Environment Volunteers
KNBS - Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
NGO - Non Governmental Organization
NLP - National Land Policy
NLC - National Land Commission
SIDA - Swedish International Development Agency
TB - Tuberculosis
UN - United Nations

4. 4 | Community led Inventory of Public Land in Lari Constituency, Kiambu County
GROOTS Kenya, KENVO, ACT & The Embassy of Sweden 2013
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Land (public or private) is an emotive issue in Kenya. Private land is a mainstay for the greater majority of
Kenyan’s while public land is the basis on which communities collectively access adequate and quality
essential services such as education, healthcare, recreation and administration. Over the years, public
land has been faced with a myriad of challenges among others corruption, illegal acquisition (grabbing)
and irregular allocations. These challenges were fueled by the fact that there was no formal database of
public lands in the country thus exposing them to encroachment, irregular allocation and in many
instances outright grabbing.
Since 2004, GROOTS Kenya has been working with grassroots women in various communities to
enhance their capacities in curbing asset stripping and disinheritance with specific emphasis on
matrimonial property. In its involvement in developing the National Land Policy (NLP), GROOTS Kenya
recognized the significance of public lands in enhancing access to adequate basic services. Despite its
significance to their livelihoods, grassroots women remain largely marginalized in the control,
management and administration of public lands. In an attempt to address this disparity, the Embassy of
Sweden provided funding for a 2-year pilot project aimed at enhancing capacities of grassroots women to
take a lead in identifying and protecting public lands within Lari Constituency as a basic means towards
enhancing access to high quality basic and essential services which is a constitutional right provided for in
Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Kenya under the Bill of Rights.
Essentially, the program sought to achieve two main objectives; (1), to create awareness on the
relationship between public land and basic services to all community members but with emphasis on
grassroots women; (2), to enhance capacities of grassroots women in identifying and mapping public
lands within their Constituency and (3), to document, store and disseminate the findings to the community,
stakeholder and share the same with relevant institutions such as the National Land Commission.
The community members were sensitized on the importance and relation of public land to their livelihoods
and grassroots women (with assistance of men and youth) were trained on research, data collection and
mapping. This inventory is therefore the product of a participatory research conducted by grassroots
community members on public lands in Lari Constituency. Data was collected, analyzed, validated and
processed into this product. In addition to this, the grassroots community members also spearheaded the
process of formulating GIS maps of two wards (Kijabe and Nyanduma) complete with the specific
locations of the identified public lands within the constituency as a means of storage and to facilitate
easier and wider dissemination. The maps are available online at http://www.kijabemap.org and
http://www.nyandumamap.org.
Chapter 1 of the inventory discusses the background of GROOTS Kenya and the mapping process in
terms of methodologies used, scope and limitations while Chapter 2 discusses the national and local
context of land in Kenya. This chapter discusses the background, history and present status of lands in
Kenya as well as the institutional framework regarding land in Kenya. Chapter 3 contains findings of the
mapping process for each ward. Chapter 4 discuses the issued that emerged during the mapping
process, challenges experienced and conclusion while Chapter contains the mapping process references.
Your indulgence is sought to further appreciate the contents of this inventory which are described in great
detail herein.