Privatisation of the commons: land ownership, access, and exclusion among the Karrayu pastoralists of eastern Ethiopia

This study critically examines the effects of communal land privatisation and certification linked to the state-sponsored irrigation project in the pastoral area. It is based on ethnographic fieldwork among the Karrayu pastoralists in eastern Ethiopia. The findings indicate that subdivision and certification excluded many pastoral individuals and groups from accessing their ancestral land. Some were not allocated land; all, including those who were allocated a parcel, lost access to the rest of the land to which they previously had access; and some of those who were granted ownership rights were also unable to reap the full benefits of their holding due to structural-relational factors constraining their power to do so. Thus, the article suggests the importance of monitoring the process to protect the rights of disadvantaged groups as well as strengthening the customary tenure rather than rushing to replace it.