Kenya’s drylands are vital for livelihoods, wildlife conservation, renewable energy, and emerging carbon and nature-based markets. Despite their importance, these landscapes face persistent governance challenges, including gaps in community support and guidelines to navigate private sector investment.
At the same time, private investment in drylands is increasing. Renewable energy projects, infrastructure corridors, carbon initiatives, mining, conservancies, and commercial agriculture are expanding into rangelands. These investments offer opportunities but also expose gaps in how communities, counties, and investors interact.
What’s at stake: Rights-based engagement in drylands investment
The Community – Investor Framework for Kenya’s Drylands, developed by Landesa and the Drylands Learning and Capacity Building Initiative (DLCI) and currently in a pilot phase, offers a clear, legally grounded process for responsible investment on community land in Kenya’s drylands, drawing on national laws, county planning systems, and established international standards. The framework outlines the full investment cycle: due diligence (DD), Expression of Interest, community preparation, Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), negotiation, agreement, implementation, monitoring, and responsible exit.
Its purpose is to strengthen community rights, improve transparency, support county oversight, and ensure that investments in the drylands are lawful, inclusive, environmentally sound, and aligned with community and county priorities. The framework is intended to provide a structured approach to community-investor engagement while allowing for refinement based on implementation experience, emerging lessons, and evolving practice.
Who is the framework for?
The framework is intended to support the following:
- Communities and their representative institutions
- Investors operating on community land
- Local and national government agencies
- Development partners and practitioners supporting responsible land-based investment
The framework pilot will begin in July 2026 with an anticipated release in 2027.
For more information, contact Racheal Kisiangani (rachealk@landesa.org) or Leslie Hannay (leslieh@landesa.org).
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