Corruption in Urban Land Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Pentapartite Comparative Approach

Abstract

This research focuses on corruption in urban land governance in Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Namibia, whereby the data collected are secondary data from different sources, including Transparency International and literature review. The research utilizes the document review method in a qualitative research approach to analyze secondary data extracted from reliable websites and literature from Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. The study also further focuses on areas of high corruption risk in urban land management and the roles of political, economic, and historical imperatives in land management for the analysis of the corruption perceptions index for 2023. Hence, the corruption indices vary radically depending on the country in question and the lowest of those indices prove that corruption constitutes massive challenges. Political actors, economic interests, and each country's historical context shape these patterns. This evil has been termed broadly to slow down urban development, increase the cost of housing, and promote inequality. Any mechanisms of combating corruption should be based on the specific features of the political and socio-economic environment of the countries. As a result, the research has highlighted the importance of enhanced legal reforms, openness, and accountability towards the fight against corruption with particular reference to the Sub-Saharan Africa region in relation to fair and prudent land management.