The National Land Commission (NLC) has introduced new guidelines that will govern the use, planning and management of public land held by the government institutions across the country.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The framework, aimed at eliminating encroachment and land grabbing by public officers,  requires all public agencies to prepare a structured Land Use and Management Plan (LUMPs) that will guide how public land is utilised, protected, and developed.

In a notice published on Tuesday, June 30, the commission directed public agencies to prepare a 20-year Land Use and Management Plan and submit it to the National Land Commission for approval.

“Developed under Article 67(2)(a) and (h) of the Constitution, Section 17 of the Land Act, 2012, and Legal Notice No. 280 of 2017, the Guide provides public agencies with a practical roadmap for preparing 20-year Land Use and Management Plans and submitting them to the National Land Commission for approval,” NLC stated in the notice.

📌 What You Need to Know

Under the new rules, all government institutions, including ministries, state corporations, and county agencies, must ensure that public land under their custody is properly documented, planned, and used strictly for approved purposes. Agencies will also be required to obtain approval from the commission before changing land use.

The guidelines outline key components of the plans, including land inventories, environmental safeguards , infrastructure development plans, risk management strategies, and mechanisms for dispute resolution and boundary protection.

“Every LUMP must include an agency profile and land inventory, planning context, land ownership details, existing land use analysis, proposed developments, GIS-based maps, environmental and social considerations, implementation strategies, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and supporting technical documentation,” the commission added.

According to NLC, the reforms are intended to address long-standing challenges such as land grabbing, encroachment, underutilisation of public land, and fragmented planning that have often led to disputes and loss of public assets.

“LUMPs are designed to prevent land grabbing and encroachment, eliminate conflicting land uses, optimise public assets, reduce disputes, protect environmentally sensitive and culturally significant areas, safeguard land reserved for strategic projects and promote climate resilience.”

To strengthen enforcement, the framework provides NLC with authority to monitor compliance through site inspections, institutional reporting, and performance audits.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke