Kenya has opened the Draft Community Land Mass Registration Master Plan 2026–2031 for public participation as the Government seeks to accelerate community land registration nationwide.
The five-year Master Plan aims to address bottlenecks affecting community land registration and establish strategies for faster, more coordinated registration across Kenya.
The Ministry of Lands is inviting communities, civil society organisations, professional bodies and other stakeholders to submit comments by 8 October 2026.
The Government has opened the Draft Community Land Mass Registration Master Plan 2026–2031 for public participation, inviting Kenyans and other stakeholders to submit views and recommendations on the proposed five-year framework for accelerating community land registration across the country.
The initiative, spearheaded by the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning under the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, seeks to establish a systematic approach to speeding up the registration of community land.
The plan is expected to cover community lands across Kenya, including areas in northern Kenya and communities whose livelihoods are closely linked to pastoralism.
The public participation process provides an opportunity for community land institutions, civil society organisations, professional bodies, development partners and members of the public to review the proposed framework and contribute to its development.
Five-Year Framework for Community Land Registration
According to the Ministry, the Draft Master Plan provides a systematic five-year national strategy for accelerating the registration of community land.
One of its key objectives is to establish a framework that can facilitate the fast-tracking of mass registration of community land.
The proposed approach is intended to provide greater structure to the registration process and guide the different actors involved in ensuring that community land is formally registered.
The plan also seeks to address challenges that have continued to affect the pace of community land registration across the country.
Identifying Bottlenecks
A key component of the Master Plan is the identification of existing bottlenecks that hinder community land registration.
The Ministry says the framework will propose appropriate strategies for addressing these challenges, with the aim of making the registration process more effective and practical.
Identifying these barriers is expected to help stakeholders better understand the administrative, institutional and other challenges that can slow the registration of community land.
The proposed strategies will form part of the broader framework for implementing mass registration over the five-year period.
Costing Community Land Registration
The Draft Master Plan also seeks to provide cost estimates for the mass registration of community land.
The costing component is intended to provide a basis for understanding the resources required from the Government, communities and other relevant stakeholders to support the registration process.
This is expected to help inform planning and resource mobilisation as the proposed five-year strategy is implemented.
By outlining anticipated costs, the Master Plan aims to provide stakeholders with a clearer framework for planning and supporting community land registration activities.
Collaboration Across Government and Other Stakeholders
The Draft Master Plan has been developed by the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning in collaboration with the National Land Commission, the State Department for ASALs and Regional Development, and non-state actors.
The multi-stakeholder approach reflects the different institutions and actors involved in community land governance and registration.
The Ministry is now seeking views from a wider group of stakeholders before the Master Plan is finalised.
Those invited to participate include members of the public, community land institutions, civil society organisations, professional bodies, development partners and other interested stakeholders.
Focus on Northern Kenya and Pastoralist Communities
The proposed five-year strategy is particularly significant for areas where community land forms an important basis for livelihoods and local governance.
The Ministry has indicated that the plan will include community lands in northern Kenya and among pastoralist communities.
Opening the framework for public participation allows communities and organisations with direct experience of community land governance to provide feedback on the proposed approach.
Their input can help ensure that the final framework takes into account local circumstances and the practical challenges faced during community land registration.
Public Participation
The Ministry is inviting stakeholders to review the Draft Community Land Mass Registration Master Plan 2026–2031 and submit comments and recommendations.
Written submissions should be sent to cla@ardhi.go.ke on or before 8 October 2026.
The Ministry has encouraged all interested stakeholders to take part in the process and contribute towards the development of what it describes as an inclusive, practical and effective framework for accelerating community land registration.
The Draft Master Plan is available through the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development website.
Towards Faster Community Land Registration
The public participation process marks the next step in developing a national framework for accelerating community land registration.
By bringing together government institutions, communities, civil society, professional organisations and development partners, the proposed Master Plan seeks to establish a coordinated approach to addressing registration challenges.
The five-year framework will ultimately depend on how effectively the identified bottlenecks are addressed, resources are mobilised and the different stakeholders work together during implementation.
For communities whose land remains unregistered, the proposed strategy could provide a structured national framework for moving the registration process forward.
The Ministry is now calling on stakeholders to use the public participation window to review the proposals and provide feedback before the Master Plan is finalised.