Land Rights, Land Ownership, and Land Governance among Rural Communities in River Tana County, Kenya: A Gender Perspective

ontext and background  Gender issues in land governance remain a major concern in the developing countries owing the numerous human development challenges. Growing research evidences indicate that land governance is distorted by various aspects that often exacerbate discrimination against women. The researches on these aspects are far from being exhausted. Goal and Objectives: Therefore, this study assessed the influence the status of land rights, land ownership, and land governance among rural communities in River Tana County using a gender based perspective. Methodology: This article used two study sites of Bedford Biofuel fuel and Galana Kulalu Food security projects in the context of large scale land investments. This article deployed the Ostrom theory of governing the commons to tease out the nexus between land rights, ownership, and governance among rural communities in River Tana County. The study was informed by primary data that was obtained through interviews and observation from the field and secondary data that involved critical review of different legal documents related to land policy process and issues in Kenya. Transcripts were uploaded on Atlas ti computer software for in-depth analysis, through finding meaning of data, coding, developing patterns, creating themes, and presenting them with respective to the research objectives. Results: Insights from the study show that rights over land was a reserve of men, while women depended on men for land use rights; that men owned land on behalf of their household, while women utilized it on behalf of men as social role expectation and men decided on land matters while women followed decisions whether in her favour or not. In conclusion, land issues were a subject of men rather than women or both to address, which could make or undo the wishes of women and how well land was used mattered to women. This article suggest that putting women at the fore front of sustainable land governance could improve the low success rate of land investment process. The findings of this article contributes to the growing literature of gender perspectives on land deals