ABSTRACT

This chapter critically examines a link between national politics, access to land, and the perpetuation of rural poverty in Africa, with specific focus on Kenya's postcolonial experience regarding the country's land reform program. By reminiscing on the history of Kenya's land reform since 1963, the chapter contends that access to land in Kenya since independence has been inextricably tied to national and local politics. In Kenya where land has been "politicized" since colonial times, the role of the postcolonial state has been critical in addressing the land question so as to fulfill public demand for a land reform package that assures access to land. The chapter argues that while progress has been realized in Kenya's political sector following the introduction of multi-party politics in the early 1990s and the adoption of a new constitution in 2009, there has been a marked, slow pace, or "hesitance", by the government to ensure a comprehensive land reform agenda.