NLC Targets Historical Land Injustices As New Regulations Take Shape

By Elijah

The National Land Commission (NLC) has vowed to expedite the resolution of historical land injustices across the country, saying new regulations will provide a stronger framework for addressing long-running land disputes.

Speaking in Nakuru on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, during a public participation forum on the draft regulations on historical land injustices, NLC Commissioner Vincent Kigen said Nakuru was among counties with outstanding historical land grievances, particularly involving the Ogiek community.

Kigen said engaging affected communities would enable the commission to make informed and impartial decisions on land at the center of historical disputes.

“We know there are many people who feel that their land was taken away illegally, including the Ogiek and Talai communities, and so these draft regulations will give them an opportunity to engage fully with us and enable us to make a declaration,” he said.

Kigen said the commission would also hold public participation forums in Bomet and Kericho counties as it gathers views to inform the regulations. Other commissioners are expected to conduct similar engagements in different parts of the country.

NLC Commissioner Mohamed Abdi Haji said historical land injustices and irregular allocations had continued to complicate the management of land in Kenya.

He said public input would help address gaps in the proposed regulations and strengthen the legal framework for resolving historical claims.

“The land question is so emotive and needs urgent intervention,” Haji said.

NLC Commissioner Mary Seneta said the commission had made progress in collecting views from the public and expected to conclude the exercise by December.

She said the process had generated high expectations because of the numerous disputes involving community land across the country.

“This process will be very important for us to actualise the resolution of many land conflicts that have put communities at loggerheads with each other and, at the same time, against the authorities,” she said.

The Ogiek community in Nakuru has pursued legal action over its ancestral land in the Mau Forest. In 2017, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, Tanzania, found Kenya responsible for violating the community’s rights.

The Talai community in Kericho has also pursued legal action over historical land grievances, including a case in London against the British government over land it says was taken during the colonial period and converted into tea estates.

The NLC’s proposed regulations are expected to guide the commission in handling claims of historical land injustices and provide a framework for determining and resolving such grievances.