Kenya: Women Call for Equity in Land Rights

Jul 1, 2026 | Esther Mwangi and Dennis Rasto
Kenya News Agency
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Securing women’s land rights in Kenya is vital for successful environmental conservation and climate action since without secure ownership or tenure, women who make up the backbone of rural farming, are severely limited in their ability to invest in long-term soil management and ecosystem restoration.

According to Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Kenya, the lack of land ownership severely restricts women from adopting agro-ecological practices and without formal titles they cannot secure agricultural credit, make long-term investments in soil health or agroforestry, or claim decision-making power over the land they cultivate.

Speaking in Nakuru during a sensitization forum organized by PELUM, senior trainer Cecilia Murugu indicated that cultural beliefs that deny women land rights were to blame for adverse climate change affecting them adding that implementing policies that ensure they have better access to land and finances will guarantee their engagement in agroecology more equitably.