Land Rights and Conflict in Kenya

Competition over resources, particularly over land, is often cited as a major cause of conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. In order to better understand the links between violent conflict and property rights in land this project attempts to answer two interrelated questions. First, how does land ownership affect which persons are victimized by violence? Second, given episodes of ethnic violence what determines which smallholders will be permanently deprived of property? 

These questions are addressed by conducting a survey in two Kenyan districts. Data will be collected on respondent’s migration history, land ownership, socio-economic status, political participation, as well as their experience of inter-ethnic violence and displacement. Individual-level data will be combined with GIS data on settlement patterns, voting patterns and conflict incidence in sampled administrative areas.

The final product of this project will be a series of articles on land rights and violence to be published in an academic journal. The project will contribute to the academic literature on conflict by examining the process by which communities decide whose property claims are legitimate. It will also contribute to a public debate in Kenya about the sources of episodic inter-ethnic conflict and about the best way to remedy perceived historical injustices in land ownership and allocation.