THIS BRIEF SUMMARIZES the results of research in Eldoret (Kenya), Enugu (Nigeria), Gaborone (Botswana), Kampala (Uganda), Lusaka (Zambia) and Maseru (Lesotho) that has analyzed informal land delivery mechanisms (especially with regard to the poor and women), the institutions that regulate land transactions, and the changes that are taking place. The brief begins with a summary of the main conclusions and then elaborates on the key themes of the research, with many boxes to illustrate specific practices in the different cities. The discussion explores delivery challenges for land and the changing relations between the formal and informal institutions.
The study highlights the extent to which land has become commercialized; residential plots are, for the most part, acquired through the market. It is very difficult now for groups to secure land through squatting or through membership of indigenous rights-holding groups. Hence, the authors argue, most poor households are now tenants. The rules for informal land delivery are generally effective; they borrow from customary institutions and modern practices, and often mimic the formal systems. In some contexts, such informal systems are breaking down.
A number of other conclusions are also drawn:
- tenure security should be improved, but individual titling programmes may not be effective
- governments should seek to enhance security and avoid evictions;
- poor layouts and inadequate services can be addressed through recognition and appropriate programmes;
- incorporation of informal settlements may have revenue benefits; and
- formal land administration systems should be decentralized.