Communal Land Rights

Protecting Indigenous Land and Resource Rights

We assist Indigenous communities in securing legally recognized land and resource rights, empowering their stewardship through community-driven land registration, strong governance, and sustainable resource management.

“IMPACT has supported over forty communities in securing their land titles. This resulted in over a million acres of reclaimed land.”

JOHN TINGOI
Program Director of IMPACT

The Challenge

Ancestral Lands and Indigenous Rights at Risk

Most Indigenous peoples reside on communal lands without secure titles, threatening their livelihoods, autonomy, and heritage. The 2016 Community Land Act allows communities to obtain formal land titles. However, navigating the complexity of the registration process poses risks of land and resource loss.

Our Solution

To ensure land and resource rights, we advocate for a streamlined and accessible process to formalize communal land rights. We also facilitate community litigations on land and environment-related cases.

We focus on two key areas to support community land rights and governance:

Facilitating and Simplifying Community Land Registration

Guiding the process across northern Kenya
Conducting stakeholder engagement and training

Strengthening and Diversifying Community Land Governance

Building management committees’ capacity
Promoting inclusive governance and sustainable practices

The Challenge

Ancestral Lands and Indigenous Rights at Risk

Our Solution

We focus on two key areas to support community land rights and governance:

Facilitating and Simplifying Community Land Registration

Guiding the process across northern Kenya
Conducting stakeholder engagement and training

Strengthening and Diversifying Community Land Governance

Building management committees’ capacity
Promoting inclusive governance and sustainable practices

“Without control over our ancestral land, we were dependent on others—it was like being slaves. With the title deed, our community can manage our resources, grazing, settlements, and future development. It's a big step toward restoring our dignity, as we can control our resources and future.”

JONATHAN LEPOORA
Chairman, Community Land Management Committee
Nkaroni Community Land

IMPACT in Action

Nkaroni Community Land—Securing Land Rights and Dignity

IMPACT assisted the Nkaroni Community in obtaining a title deed and developing a land management plan.

The Nkaroni Community in Samburu County, Kenya, had been seeking a title deed for their ancestral land since 1976. IMPACT played a crucial role in helping them achieve this milestone.

IMPACT trained the Community Land Management Committee (CLMC) and the community on land management, ownership, control, and use.
IMPACT also supported land rehabilitation, including planting grass and grazing management.
In October 2023, the Nkaroni Community finally received their title deed, granting them ownership and control over their land.
The process took about three years and involved building capacity and ensuring the inclusion of women and youth in decision making, as required by the 2016 Community Land Act.

Together, we make an impact.

Stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples for land rights, sustainable livelihoods, and cultural preservation.