FROM LAND TO LEADERSHIP

The document outlines the process of creating community conservancies in Kenya, emphasizing the necessity of land registration under the Community Land Act 2016 to ensure tenure security. It details various legal registration options—including CBOs, NGOs, trusts, and cooperatives—and proposes governance models that balance community leadership with stakeholder collaboration. The guide provides a framework for developing management plans, securing wildlife, and negotiating fair contracts with private investors. Additionally, it advocates for the integration of traditional indigenous knowledge and the use of Bio-cultural Community Protocols to address climate change and biodiversity loss.

• The guide strongly advises that communities establish conservancies only after the formal registration of community lands to ensure tenure security, provide evidence of ownership, and prevent conflicts over land ownership.
• Community conservancies in Kenya can be legally registered through four primary structures: Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Trusts, or Cooperative Societies, with cooperatives noted for their ease of registration and management.
• Effective governance in community conservancies should be based on eight environmental governance principles: legitimacy, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness, fairness, integration, capability, and adaptability.
• The document identifies a 'private-led shared governance' model as risky for communities, as it often leads to conflict due to shifting interests and the transfer of financial control to a single private actor.
• A Management Plan is a statutory requirement under section 44 of the Wildlife Conservation & Management Act (2013) for any conservancy seeking licensing and registration with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
• When contracting with private investors, communities are warned against 'exclusivity clauses' that transfer all tourism activities to the investor and 'ambiguous' clauses regarding the use of dwellings by investor directors' families and friends.
• The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) serves as the lead national agency for the registration of conservancies and provides benefits such as tax waivers on imported capital supplies and the training of Community Wildlife Scouts.
• To combat biodiversity loss and climate change, the guide recommends the use of Bio-cultural Community Protocols (BCPs) to define terms for external parties accessing local resources and the patenting of traditional knowledge through the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI).

APA

Adhiambo, S., Odhiambo, F., Wario, K., & Sang, L. (n.d.). FROM LAND TO LEADERSHIP. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf

Chicago

Adhiambo, Sophie, Felix Odhiambo, Kule Wario, and Leonard Sang. FROM LAND TO LEADERSHIP. Natural Justice, n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Adhiambo |first1=Sophie |last2=Odhiambo |first2=Felix |last3=Wario |first3=Kule |last4=Sang |first4=Leonard |title=FROM LAND TO LEADERSHIP |publisher=Natural Justice |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{adhiambondfrom, author = {Adhiambo, Sophie and Odhiambo, Felix and Wario, Kule and Sang, Leonard}, title = {{FROM LAND TO LEADERSHIP}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }