Honoring Prof. H.W.O. Okoth-Ogendo's Vision for Transformative Land Governance

The 2025 Professor H.W.O. Okoth-Ogendo Annual Distinguished Lecture, held at the Faculty of Law on 24th April 0225, brought together leading scholars and practitioners to reflect on the state of land governance in Africa and celebrate the legacy of one of its most influential legal minds. The event, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and European Union (EU) under the Digital Land Governance Programme, was a resounding call to reimagine land law as dynamic, inclusive, and responsive to contemporary realities.

The event was officially opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Prof. Leonida Kerubo, who was representing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jesang Hutchinson. In her opening remarks, Prof. Kerubo expressed the University’s commitment to celebrating and preserving the scholarly legacy of Prof. Okoth-Ogendo. She highlighted his pioneering contributions to land law and governance across Africa, including his foundational role in Kenya’s National Land Policy and the Constitution Review Commission. Citing works such as Tenants of the Crown, she emphasized his vision of land as a deeply social and political institution. Prof. Kerubo also thanked the FAO, EU, and the late professor’s family for their enduring support and acknowledged the importance of collaborative research in shaping sustainable and equitable land systems.

Prof. Winifred Kamau, Dean of the Faculty of Law, paid tribute to Prof. Okoth-Ogendo’s towering legacy in African land discourse. His intellectual contributions, exemplified in Tenants of the Crown and The Tragic African Commons, redefined indigenous land rights and influenced landmark legal and constitutional reforms across the continent. As a mentor, teacher, and policy advisor, he helped shape generations of legal scholars and provided guidance to governments and international bodies on land governance. Prof. Kamau noted that this lecture series, organized under the Faculty’s project “Fostering Thought Leadership and Evidence-Led Research on Land Governance,” is not only a tribute to his scholarship but also a platform to advance equitable, just, and sustainable land systems through research and dialogue.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Patricia Kameri-Mbote invoked the depth and complexity of Prof. Okoth-Ogendo’s legacy, describing land not merely as a resource, but as the basis of sovereignty, identity, and continuity. “Without land, there is no Kenya,” she declared. She emphasized that land in Africa embodies social, spiritual, political, and economic meaning and that current laws must evolve to capture this depth. Prof. Kameri-Mbote traced Kenya’s protracted land reform journey, noting that despite efforts since 1952, issues of land tenure insecurity, institutional fragmentation, and climate-induced stress remain persistent. She highlighted the land’s plural character, how it is simultaneously cultural heritage, economic base, and site of contestation in the face of population growth, urbanization, and environmental degradation.

She further argued that land ownership in Africa is not absolute but a bundle of interdependent rights, shaped by history, social obligations, and ecological contexts. The colonial legacy distorted these relational systems, prioritizing individual ownership over communal stewardship. This, she said, continues to complicate formal legal reforms.

Prof. Kameri-Mbote also addressed pressing global dynamics such as deep-sea mining, the energy transition, and climate change which directly impact land governance frameworks in Africa. She called for an approach that balances anthropocentric and egocentric values and recognizes both legal legitimacy and social legitimacy in land rights.

The lecture served not only as a tribute to Prof. Okoth-Ogendo’s foresight but also as a platform for rethinking the structure and purpose of land law in an evolving Africa. The speakers collectively urged that the law must move beyond allocation of interests to a broader governance agenda that reflects people, place, and planetary well-being.

About Pro.Okoth-Ogendo

Professor Hastings Wilfred Opinya Okoth-Ogendo (1944–2009) was a distinguished Kenyan legal scholar renowned for his expertise in land law, constitutional development, and governance. Educated at the University of East Africa, Oxford, and Yale, he served as a professor at the University of Nairobi and held visiting positions at prestigious institutions worldwide. Prof. Okoth-Ogendo played a pivotal role in Kenya's constitutional reform, notably as vice-chair of the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission, and contributed significantly to land policy initiatives across Africa. His extensive consultancy work with organizations like the UN, FAO, and the African Union underscored his commitment to equitable land governance. His seminal works, including "Tenants of the Crown," continue to influence legal thought on land rights and governance. Prof. Okoth-Ogendo passed away in 2009 while assisting in developing a continental land policy framework for the African Union