1114 -POLITICS OF MODERN DEVELOPMENT

THE UNRESOLVED LAND OWNERSHIP/GRABBING ISSUES AFFECTING

KENYA'S DEVELOPMENT- A POWER CONCEPT.
Although independence was achieved 60 years ago, the country still struggles with issues
of land grabbing & forced resettlement, exploitation, and corruption. The history of
squatters in Kenya is traced to colonial injustices by the British government. During the
colonial era, the British government seized vast amounts of land from the indigenous
people and granted it to white settlers, leaving many Kenyans landless. After
independence, the new government faced the challenge of redistributing land to the
original owners while also satisfying the demands of the political elites who had
supported the fight for independence. This led to a complex and often corrupt system of
land allocation, which often favored those with political power and connections. As a
result, many Kenyans have been left without access to land, and the issue of land
grabbing has persisted.
For example, In October 2023, Residential houses were demolished in the Mavoko
constituency with claims that they were built on Land belonging to East African Portland
Cement LTD. However, the Company previously, through agents, had sold the same
parcels of land to those residents. After the demolition, the company (East African
Portland Cement) advertised the plots for resale. This raises concern about why the
government allows such exploitation to continue. Or whose interest is it serving?
Politically motivated displacements have occurred previously in the 1992 and 1997
general elections. Ten years later, history repeated itself in the 2008/2009 post-election
violence conflicts which resulted to the forced displacement of people from their land
resulting in internally Displaced Persons. Three General elections have been conducted
after, and nothing has been done to retrieve the land for these people. The subsequent
governments use these Internally Displaced Persons during campaign periods to gain
their votes and never resolve the mystery of land grabbing. The Government has failed to
address such issues and instead has politicized them to the extent of using Land
allocation, issuance of title deeds, and availing justice as a campaign strategy to lure
votes from the electorates.
These experiences explore the various theoretical perspectives of power, including
Gaventa & Cornwall’s (2006) description of power as “an attribute that some have and
others lack”, and Lukes (1974,2005) three dimensions of power, which include the ability
to make informed decisions, shape agendas, and shape people's views so that they don't
consider certain issues as a problem.
According to Dahl (1969), power is the relationship between persons A and as cited in
Gaventa & Cornwall (2006). This model is known as “power over” and it's recognizable.
Person A is superior and person B is inferior. Person A can make decisions and have
others do what they would otherwise not do. In the case of the evictions/demolition in
Mavoko, East African Portland forcefully made people relocate. The company decided
that the people were illegally owning the parcels of land and ought to vacate, and the
occupants had to comply without failure/excuse. The indigenous communities left their
fertile lands to the white settlers because the British government gave directives,
otherwise, they would not have moved.
Bachrach & Baratz's (1970) hidden power aims at keeping actors /issues away from the
decision-making table. The government and subsequent governments in Kenya use
landlessness as a campaign strategy to lure the electorates to vote for them. The National
Assembly comes up with policies and motions on Land without the involvement of the
squatters in question. This limits the squatters from addressing the things that are to their
benefit in addressing the situation at hand.
In conclusion, the issue of land ownership/grabbing is a development challenge that has
persisted for decades resulting in food insecurity and inflation in consumer goods as the
demand is higher than the supply. The means of production and resources are with those
in power who mostly focus on Doing large-scale agriculture for Exportation. This leaves
the normal citizens with no option other than to live a hand-to-mouth lifestyle which in
most cases isn’t sustainable.

Pic 1: Ongoing Demolition at Mavoko Pic 2: Advert in the dailies to re-sell the land
Pic 1 source:https://www.kbc.co.ke/court-to-rule-at-4pm-on-mavoko-demolition-
injunction-orders/
 Pic 2 Source: https://www.kbc.co.ke/portland-cement-announces-plans-to-sell-land-in-
mavoko-amidst-demolitions/
References
Gaventa, J. and Cornwall, A., 2015. The SAGE Handbook of Action Research. Third
Edition55 City Road, London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Available at:
<https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473921290> [Accessed 27 Oct 2023].
Quijano, A. (2000) “Coloniality of Power and Eurocentrism in Latin America,”
International Sociology, 15(2), pp. 215–232.