High land subdivision spurs migration
Inheritance, population growth, land markets and historical and cultural perspectives have been the key contributors, the Land Fragmentation Report released by the National Land Commission (NLC) in October 2021 shows.
In the end, with so many factors driving the division of land into units that are too small for optimal economic productivity and with the population increasing rapidly, people are being forced out of their homes in search of greener pastures.
The smaller portions of land cannot be used for the same purpose as the bigger ones, before subdivision.
Data from the Economic Survey 2021 shows 140,434 people migrated from Kisii County in the year to pursue better fortunes elsewhere.
Over 44,260 people settled in the county in the year. That represented a negative net migration of 96,174.
Kisii had the highest frequency of people leaving than those migrating in, of all the 47 counties.
The same was witnessed in Kakamega County with a negative impact of 95,236 due to out-migration. The county led in the absolute number of those migrating out with 185,886.
The two counties were followed by Bungoma with a negative outmigration of 72,172, and Kitui with 72,051.
