The Role of Training Institutions in Promoting Sustainable Land Management in Kenya

Abstract

Land is critical to the economic, social and cultural development of a country. In Kenya, land issues are emotive and have dominated the debate since independence in 1963. Indeed, the struggle for independence from the colonial rule was closely linked to the fight for land rights. As a nation Kenya therefore recognized at an early stage, the important role of experts in the acquisition, development, valuation, management and disposal of property.

The approaches of Land Administration processes and outputs have evolved with time. Of particular concern is the global realization that land administration should not just aim at the eventual issuance of paper title but has to be consistent with the historical, economic and social background of each country. This realization also calls for a multi-disciplinary approach in terms of core competencies with incorporation, for example, of modern land information systems and programmes of administering land. The education and training in the land sector has not critically responded to the needs of the country and continued to promote specializations at the basic university level, a trend that is worrying. The past products from Kenya Universities have not been adequately equipped to effectively offer land administration services in order to achieve sustainable land management. Land administration as a discipline has largely been ignored in this institutions.

This paper, therefore, highlights the training programmes in the built environment and particularly the land sector within the Kenya Universities. It further examines the emerging trends in the training programmes. It calls for a re-orientation and a more comprehensive programme that will meet the inherent challenges of land administration education and training.