Politics and struggles for access to land: ‘grants from above’ and ‘squatters’ in coastal Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya and sub‐Saharan Africa generally, there has been little systematic discussion of post‐colonial struggles for land rights. Studies have ignored the fact that the ‘land question ‘ is not about production alone and have, thus, failed to assess its wider consequences for society. This raises questions about the current socio‐political dimension of the land question and the consequences of the interplay between the ‘land question ‘ and other changes under way in the country. This study addresses these questions by discussing popular struggles of access to land in the coastal region of Kenya where the land question has a distinct political history. The analysis is based on a survey conducted in Kilifi district, Coast provinces, between September 1995 and November 1996.