Five important lessons for all from the Mavoko land debacle

A house is demolished on the controversial land belonging to the East African Portland Cement Company in Athi River. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

The inordinate focus on land acquisition in urban and peri-urban areas is driven by two primary considerations. It is the first crucial step towards homeownership for many Kenyans who cannot afford to buy ready-built houses in the market.

Second, ancestral land or land in rural areas cannot easily be collateralised. But that in urban and peri-urban areas is easily chargeable to financial institutions to provide capital for various pursuits including house building.