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In 2016, the Centre for Rural Development – commissioned by Transparency International – developed a Handbook on Land Corruption Risk Mapping, which helps NGOs, governmental institutions, and other actors to systematically identify and assess corruption risks in land governance and to develop effective counter-measures. The present study was produced during the development process of the handbook. It explains the handbook’s conceptual framework (corruption, corruption risks, risk assessment, etc.) and details the methodological approach that was used to develop and test the handbook. In addition, the study presents the results of four case studies that were conducted in Kenya as part of the development and testing process, namely: 1) Urban space land conflicts in Nairobi; 2) Indigenous communities and their role in initial land registration in West Pokot; 3) Inheritance of land and land rights for women in Kakamega; 4) Large scale land acquisitions in Kwale. Finally, the study includes recommendations – for Transparency International, for governmental institutions, and for NGOs – that were drawn from the handbook development process and from the case studies in Kenya.

Corruption in land governance is a significant problem in many countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It leads to insecure tenure rights, and thus contributes to non-sustainable use of land, food insecurity, inequality, violent conflicts, and the breakdown of livelihood systems. To design effective counter-measures against corruption in land governance, it is important to gain an accurate understanding of the weak spots in the respective land governance system. Therefore, the Handbook on Land Corruption Risk Mapping – commissioned by Transparency International and developed by the Centre for Rural Development (SLE) – helps NGOs, governmental institutions, and other actors in Sub-Saharan Africa to systematically identify and assess corruption risks in land governance and to develop effective counter-measures. The handbook is divided into three phases: I) Research on the historical, legal, and institutional context of the respective land governance system; II) Conduction of a participatory multi-stakeholder workshop to identify and assess corruption risks in key land governance processes; III) Development of strategies to tackle the identified corruption risks. The handbook is illustrated with examples from case studies in Kenya.