Rising global demand for land and natural resources has made protection of community lands and natural resources an urgent priority, particularly in countries with little or no legal protection for community land rights.
Namati’s Community Land Protection Program supports communities to use national land laws to protect their customary and indigenous lands. Our integrated approach combines the legal and technical work of mapping and documentation with the local governance work of resolving land conflicts, ensuring intra-community equity, and strengthening mechanisms for accountable and participatory management of land and natural resources.
We work in partnership with national and local organizations to implement community land protection programs and research impacts. We also support governments to enact and implement legislation that protects community land rights and advocate for increased global protections for community land and natural resource rights.
Namati’s step-by-step, practical “how to” manual for grassroots advocates working to help communities protect their customary claims and rights to land and natural resources. This Guide—available in English and French—details Namati’s comprehensive, five-part approach to community land protection that supports communities to build unity and internal capacity, proactively document and map their land claims, strengthen local governance, seek formal government recognition of their land rights, and plan for their own flourishing future.
Describes the land documentation activities of the community land protection process. Communities map their lands and natural resources, resolve land conflicts, mark boundaries with neighbors, and make an official map of their lands.
Illustrates the drafting of by-laws and creation of mechanisms for accountable, equitable and sustainable governance of community lands and natural resources, including protections for the rights of women and marginalized groups.
Explains how communities can empower themselves to negotiate with potential investors – including basic natural resource valuation, impact assessment, and land use planning – to ensure that agreements promote genuine community prosperity.
This guide has been developed to support communities and paralegals as they enter into and negotiate contracts with people and parties outside of the community that are interesting in acquiring land. It includes information about the following types of contracts - contracts between communities and investors, conservation contracts, and contracts ...
For most rural and indigenous people in Kenya, land is their greatest asset — their source of food, water, and livelihoods, and the basis of their history, culture, and community. But increasingly, large-scale infrastructure projects like LAPPSET, conflict, population growth, climate change, and other forces are putting pressure on their land. ...
This policy brief argues that a people-driven, legally empowering implementation of Kenya's Community Land Act (CLA) is necessary to avoid the previous pitfalls of the Land (Group Representatives) Act. This type of implementation strengthens local land governance by supporting communities to create stronger community bylaws, building the capacity of Community ...
In 2016 Kenya signed into law the Community Land Act (CLA), a progressive piece of legislation that gave life to Article 63 of the Constitution of Kenya. The CLA presents an unprecedented opportunity for communities to legally claim rights to their land and have complete decision-making power about how their land is ...
This Guide describes the roles and responsibilities that County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) have in supporting the implementation of the CLA. It also includes specific guidance on how CECMs can ensure that CLA implementation efforts are participatory, community-driven, and gender-sensitive, as women are often the primary managers and users of ...
Deciding whether or not to allow an investor to use community lands and natural resources is one of the most important decisions a community can make.When negotiations are conducted fairly and inclusively, investments may result in the creation of jobs, provision of ...
Deciding whether or not to allow an investor to use community lands and natural resources is one of the most important decisions a community can make.When negotiations are conducted fairly and inclusively, investments may result in the creation of jobs, provision of ...
In 2013, a group of 20 expert advocates from across Africa gathered for a three-day symposium to share experiences and practical strategies for effectively supporting communities to protect their lands and natural resources. The symposium illuminated many similarities between the types of threats to communities’ land and natural ...
This guide from the Land and Equity Movement in Uganda and Namati presents a step-by-step process for communities to secure stronger legal protections for common grazing lands and improve local land governance. The instructions are specifically tailored to the context of customary community grazing lands in ...
Namati and the Sustainable Development Institute in Liberia (SDI), have worked with the community of Duah for over 3 years to document the community’s land and establish an inclusive local governance system for land and natural resources. In the spring of 2013, Duah faced a serious challenge: ...
In 2013, Duah village in Liberia faced a serious challenge. Private company Lion Growth Ltd. was interested in the acquisition of Duah customary land. Duah’s local leaders struck a deal with the company without consulting the community. As a result, Duah community mobilised and rallied around their new mechanisms for ...
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Stories & Blogs
Follow the field work of Namati and partners
History in the making: How communities in Kenya are claiming their land rights
This video is the story of 11 indigenous communities' journey to secure their land.
Communities in Kenya Push for Recognition of their Land Rights
With the passage of a new law, pastoralist communities in Kenya secured the legal right to govern their land. Now they are pushing the government to ensure that law is brought to life.
A Herder, a Paralegal, a Protector of the Commons – Francis’ Story
Village leaders in the Kajidao county of Kenya are increasingly sub-diving and privatizing community lands—often with disastrous effects. Francis, who had learning about the law through a Namati partner, decided to take action to protect his community's land.
National and global-level work is necessary, but in this blog Rachael Knight argues that communities may be viewed as the key drivers of the SDGs’ fulfillment.
Interview with Robert Ojok, Grassroots Legal Advocate
Robert and his colleagues at LEMU work tirelessly every single day to support communities in Northern Uganda to protect their lands and natural resources.
Bad-Faith Contracts & Unjust Investments – How can communities protect their interests?
Rachael Knight and Kaitlin Cordes describe why and how they developed two new guides to help communities prepare for interactions with investors and, if they so wish, negotiate fair, equitable contracts.