Land Use Consolidation as a Tool for Sustainable Rural Development in Kenya:

A Case of Tabaka Ward, Kisii County

Abstract

This study examined land use consolidation as a strategic planning approach to advance sustainable rural development in Kenya, with a specific focus on Tabaka Ward in Kisii County. It highlights how agricultural land fragmentation and conversion—driven by population growth, inheritance customs, and prevailing land tenure systems—have eroded productivity and weakened rural resilience. Adopting a qualitative case study design, the research employed document analysis, field observations, and interviews with community members and key informants. Data were obtained from 27 households and five experts, who were purposively selected for their knowledge and experience. The collected information was analysed using NVivo for thematic coding and ArcGIS for spatial interpretation to identify key patterns and relationships. The findings revealed four major impediments to sustainable rural development: socio-cultural norms, economic disparities, speculative land markets, and weak governance structures. The study concludes that community-led, voluntary, and tenure-responsive land-use consolidation initiatives can significantly improve rural productivity and lay the foundation for inclusive and sustainable land management policies in Kenya.