National Land Commission (NLC) Commissioner Tiyah Galgalo has raised concerns over the slow pace of implementing the Community Land Act 2016, nine years after its enactment, noting that many group ranches across Kenya have yet to transition to formal community land titles.
Speaking at a workshop held at a Naivasha hotel on December 16, 2025, Commissioner Galgalo emphasized that delays in securing community land rights are worrying and require collective action from all stakeholders.
“The government alone cannot work in isolation in this exercise of registering community land and transitioning group ranches. This is a collective responsibility,” Commissioner Tiyah stated, urging both state and non-state actors to actively support the registration process.
She further promised that the National Land Commission would provide full support in building capacity for stakeholders involved in the exercise, emphasising that strong collaboration is key to delivering secure land tenure to communities.
The three-day workshop aims to evaluate implementation gaps, assess progress in registration, and review the transition process for group ranches. Commissioner Galgalo highlighted the legal mandate guiding the process, noting, “Article 67(2)(b) of the Constitution of Kenya mandates NLC to advise on comprehensive programs for land rights registration. We also monitor land rights to prevent fraud, overlaps, and disputes affecting vulnerable communities.”
She stressed that the work undertaken during the workshop will determine whether communities finally receive the secure tenure that has been promised in law but delayed in practice.
The event, supported by Chepkitale Indigenous Development Programmes, seeks to generate actionable plans for strengthening land rights protection and promoting sustainable community land management nationwide.
According to Chepkitale, the organization is currently supporting over 50 community lands in the registration process, but several bottlenecks remain, including reluctance from some county governments and internal conflicts within communities.
Accompanying the Commissioner at the workshop were key NLC officials, including Esterina Dhoke, Principal Land Rights Officer, and Christopher Gitonga, Principal Land Administration Officer, among others.
The Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development was also represented by CHRP Kabale Tache Arero. The workshop is expected to set the pace for accelerated community land registration across Kenya and foster greater collaboration among stakeholders.
