What is all this hullabaloo with Kenyans and land?

The thread (South Africa being monitored about land reform) has aroused me to write this…

Who came and bewitched Kenyans that owning land is crucial regardless of whether you need it or you are using it or not, and that it is even much more sweeter when you grab or steal it?. Because truth be told 99% of people with ridiculous sizes of land in our country have acquired them in questionable ways. And don’t you dare lie to us that it is African tradition coz most of our ancestors weren’t that crazy when it came to land but they mostly viewed it as a factor of production, wealth was mostly measured by the size of ones herds of animals, wives and children & land was for shelter & producing food for all this and the surplus was used for trade. Sure there were wars between different tribes at some points in history for either land or raiding of animals but this was communal and not individual/selfish and in the end it was about food and productivity not hoarding.

The colonialist mostly needed the land for agriculture and mining to feed there ever hungry industries and so they introduced the concept of plantations and ranches. During independence it is mostly the home guards and collaborators along side our founding fathers who directly benefited and hence the land hoarding era began and until now it doesn’t seem to end. It is embedded so deep in our minds that even the poor and landless believe in this ideology & given a chance they would hoard too. Politicians use this to play around with the rational of the masses like @patco pointed out the story of Kuki Gallmann. Imagine a Giriama buying a few acres in Uasin Gishu and moving there or vice versa I guarantee you that things will not be smooth for him more so during election periods (some communities are more accommodating than others but still). Who suffered the most during PEV or during election tension? Black Kenyan Africans from different ethnic communities. We are so messed up that it is easier for whites, asians e.t.c to buy property and live anywhere in this country than the rest of us, let’s face it how many were displaced or attacked during PEV?

We all need good housing heck mansions even, but we don’t all need land. If you are a manager some where earning a seven figure salary you can retire comfortably in Runda , Karen and the like. Why would Bob Collymore, Sonko, Kirubi, James Mwangi need 1000 acres when they have no interest in farming? People like Joho’s big bro Abu has a clearing and forwarding company, a logistics company, a CFS, shares in tullow oil, buildings among other investments. Why would he go looking for thousands of acres when he has no interest in farming? All around the world people are becoming billionaires without having to obsess over land, from the Jack ma s to the Michael Jordan s. So I once again ask what is all this hullabaloo with Kenyans and land!?

Nunua mbroti wacha siasa…

Its a prestige thing. It was enhanced by the spectacular rise of land values (inflation driven) from the late 80s.
I saw them discuss that in SA, after confiscating the land, no title deeds will be issued. It will remain in government hands. Simply because they doubt those who will be given can succeed in farming., and therefore loose it to banks. And continue the cycle ( of poverty).

Business. Why haven’t you mentioned business? The reason most anyone buys land nowadays is to sell at a profit. Given this, it makes sense to buy 10,000ha and hold for future $$$$$$$$$$.

Land is a factor of production and a finite resource. The other three are labour, entrepreneurship and capital. Most people understand that once you have land and capital you can easily manage the other two, i.e entrepreneurship and labour. Kenyans are obsessed with landownership not just because it’s a prestige thing but also because it provides you with a flexible alternative for yourself and the offsprings you sire. It’s a proven and effective low-risk investment strategy. The returns are also handsome when you compare them to some of the high-risk investment options

So you grab a few thousands acres huko taita interior ama narok and leave it idle just hoping that one day itakuwa very valuable ata kama it’s not during your lifetime sio?

I ain’t talking about plots friend, that is actually something I believe everyone needs.

Correct. Most people are keen on leaving land and sometimes capital for the offspring they sire. They will even claim, it’s for their grand children because they know it won’t be valuable even during the lifetime of their children.

What profit? those vast lands grabbed at north coast and south coast by previous governments top dogs at the expense of locals, most of them still lay idle while most of the culprits are dead. Are you trying to say that is ok? Ama is it okay for every generation of descendants to play russian roulette with the hopes that one day a bypass might pass through and those alive at that time will cash in big time? Ata heri zipewe the likes of late Cholmondeley aziweke into good use.

Didn’t say grabbing it was okay. Just that it made business sense, whether grabbed or bought.

In the west they store their idle wealth in gold bullions. Here in Kenya they prefer land. It’s all about scarcity.

as for me, i will buy as much land as i can comfortably afford to, shamba zina panda bei kaa shiet. a few years ago kuna mahali nilibuy 50acres for 13 million, right now all that land is worth 100 million.

… and so the era of scarcity continues to prevail in our nation. When meat, burgers & chips are food for common folk in countries with abundance in food productivity, to us junk foods are a privilege with most eating meat only on special occasions.

As an economist, I wish all land could be made leasehold (the freehold owner being the GoK). Just seen research, of a fertile area, that majority of land owners are old and therefore unable to use the land.
For instance, my favourite county next to Kenya’s capital city, has majority of its land ‘under speculation’. This only makes the wealth (not rich; watu was loans) wealthier.

But, afadhali shamba kuliko pesa kwa bank

I bought land sometime last year at a very affordable price. I recently went to check the land to see if it was still the way I left it and in the course of talking to a few of my neighbours there, I was told hio land is now worth more than 4x what I got it for. If you get affordable land in a location with future growth potential, do not hesitate to buy. Sai napanga kutumia hio land kusomesha wajunior wakienda university or better still, build rentals and have an extra source of income.

Uza ukule hiyo doo. Ukiachia watoto watapea Malaya.

All the wealth comes from land.
Gold, building stones, steel, oil, aluminium, copper, coltan, real estate space, timber for construction etc
Really anybody who diminishes the value of land is lying to you including this OP.
And what’s more land is good for use as collateral to get a loan. Walk in into any bank and produce a title deed of 100 acres in Kenya and you will get a loan.

And that is good coz at the end of the day you will have had utilized the land…

King Solomon who according to the Bible was gifted wisdom by God once reasoned and concluded that life is useless, with all his kingdom, wives, concubines and immense wealth and gold he lamented that at the end of it all he was going to die just like the peasants.

Yes we must work so that we can eat and make lives better for us and our families, but I believe that there is more to life than this. We hold on to things as if we will be around forever but sadly that is not the case, We live in a society that teaches us to only take take and take some more which ain’t right. Why shouldn’t we try making this place better for everyone right now and then we won’t need to “leave” things for or grand children coz everything will already be good by the time they get here?. I’m not saying the rich or privileged should give handouts, not at all but if those people grabbing forests and cutting down trees stop, the future will definitely be brighter. If those who own thousands of acres would only irrigate and cultivate the land or rear animals then the present and the future will definitely be brighter and for those with money & land but with no interest in farming they could just set up everything and agree with groups of youth, the poor or the unfortunate to farm or rear animals as long as they receive a certain amount of profit and for a certain period of time.

Life has classes and that’s why you don’t see a manager selling mayai boilo part time, so why should someone having stolen billions invest only in flats and hotels? How many people are they employing that way and how big is the impact of their investments as a whole? This are people who should invest in industries, maybe even bring in experts to manufacture things like motorbikes then hire our engineers and mechanics then and only then we can export better things than coffee.

Moi is old and senile, only looking forward to a graceful death, what is the use of all that land he grabbed which is still idle? His kids and kids’ kids don’t even need that land… there is such a thing as excesses.