Urban Land Markets in East Africa

The cities in the East African region are characterised by rapid urbanisation and uncontrolled spatial sprawl, with large informal settlements and inadequate service provision. The research study investigates how urban land markets operate in such a context, and particularly, how effectively poor people can access, trade and hold land.

Whilst each country has its own characteristics, laws and regulations that influence land transactions, some common features were identified. The examples chosen for this case study illustrate this variety as well as some of the elements and challenges that are common to urban land markets in this region.

Urban land markets may be considered to work well if, for example, people are able to access adequate shelter with basic services, in suitable locations with reasonable security of tenure. In view of this, the following recommendations are offered:

• Plan with a vision – to create better living environments for all citizens with efficient and affordable basic services, more compact city structures to reduce residents’ travel times and costs, and to reduce urban areas encroaching on peri-urban land with high agricultural potential that could be better used to grow food for city dwellers.

• Address the needs of the poor, particularly regarding infrastructure, shelter and service delivery.

• Identify ways to integrate newcomers to the city into the formal land delivery system, for example make it easier and less expensive for land to be sub-divided into smaller plots, particularly in rapidly growing peri-urban areas.

• Develop the capacity of public authorities to plan, allocate, administer and manage land efficiently and effectively.

• Develop land information systems to inform land-use planning and urban land markets and guard against well-connected individuals abusing the system to the disadvantage of the urban majority.

• Recognise that customary or informal systems are not merely ‘survival’ tenure systems. Both systems have their advantages and shortcomings.

• Take account of the local or national context when considering whether it is desirable or feasible to phase out a customary system over time. Where both systems are maintained, clarify the interface between them and make it workable.

• Nurture and accommodate innovative land allocation approaches to enhance land accessibility for all urban citizens.