Kenya Strategic Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management 2017 – 2027

Abstract

The Kenya Strategic Investment Framework on sustainable land management (KSIF) provides a strategy for enhancing investments, interventions and actions for the management of the country’s natural capital in a sustainable manner. Sustainable land management (SLM) is defined as “the adoption of land use systems that, through appropriate management practices, enables land users to maximize the economic and social benefits from the land while maintaining or enhancing the ecological support functions of the land resources”. The need for a Country Strategic Investment Framework (CSIF) on SLM for Kenya is in line with the Government’s commitment to support the sustainable utilization and management of the country’s natural resources for improving socio-economic development and livelihoods of its people now and for future generations. This concept is well espoused in the Constitution of Kenya, Section 60, which stipulates that; “Land in Kenya shall be held, used and managed in a manner that is equitable, efficient, productive and sustainable”, as well as under Section 69, in which the Government commits to “ensure sustainable exploitation, utilization, management and conservation of the environment and natural resources, and ensure the equitable sharing of the accruing benefits”. This promise is underpinned in the Kenya Vision 2030,which under section 4.6 envisions “a people living in a clean, secure and sustainable environment” and further proposes; sustainable management of natural resources, conservation and combating environmental degradation as actions towards fulfilling the Social Pillar. But despite this legislative and policy push, Kenya’s watersheds, agricultural, rangelands and settled areas continue to face extensive land degradation. This is evident from a study by the Kenya Agricultural Productivity and Sustainable Land Management Project (KAPSLMP), showing that at least 61% the total area of Kenya is at high risk of land degradation, while very high degradation affects 27% of the land. Land degradation is especially severe in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs). Nationally, Kenya is prone to all seven types of land degradation, namely: soil degradation, biological degradation, water degradation, chemical degradation, physical degradation, climate deterioration, and land conversion. At the same time, agricultural productivity is low compared to inherent potential. This is because investments in land productivity have not received the requisite attention in the country’s development programmes. At the policy level, there exist a disconnect in the way interventions are implemented, as there is a multiplicity of institutions, laws and policies that touch on SLM, but the sub-sector lacks a focused investment agenda. This disconnect is addressed through this SLM-focused Kenya Strategic Investment Framework for sustainable land management (KSIF).