Pick Our Brains

-

Benson Mutuku - Title: Men's and Women's Participation in Resolution of Land-Based Conflicts

The Pick our Brains sessions of the Maastricht Centre for Human Rights are for both PhD students and more senior members of our Centre and members of other research centres and universities. These sessions are intended as a mode of intellectual stimulation and exchange, or to potentially promote collaborations within/outside the Centre. The sessions are also designed as an opportunity to get feedback on ongoing/upcoming research, showcase recent research and events at which you presented, as well as to enable an exchange of scholarly ideas. Each session contains a short presentation and a lively debate. A small lunch is provided as well. 

These sessions will take place physically and online. The Zoom link for the online sessions will be distributed later.  

On 23 January our speaker is Benson Mutuku (Maastricht University). The title of the presentation is "Men's and Women's Participation in Resolution of Land-Based Conflicts".

Benson Mutuku holds a PhD from the Department of Health Ethics and Society and CAPHRI Research Line Inequity, Participation and Globalization, Maastricht University, the Netherlands. He is also a development and humanitarian professional with over 17 years' experience working with INGOs, NGOs, Private sector, and Government institutions. 

pic

This is the abstract:
In Kenya, the land system is defined by the Kenyan Constitution (2010), the Land Registration Act and the Land Act. Land is classified to public land, community land and private land. Community land is held by communities based on ethnicity, culture, or similar community interest. The Mt. Elgon region in Bungoma County, western Kenya, which was the focal point of this thesis provides a unique view of how this evolution of law and policy has been reviewed and implemented in a rural agro-area where many still cling to gender and social cultural norms; thus, providing the parameters for the study to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of these rights in light of the role women play. With the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya (2010), the country has undergone significant policy and legislative changes aimed at providing an equal footing for men and women in the access, use and ownership of land. It is against this background that the research was carried out to assess the gender policies and laws, gender empowerment programs on women’s access to property rights and participation in the resolution of land-based conflicts in the Mt. Elgon region.  

Also read