Politica e deforestazione in Kenya : i risultati della Commissione Ndung’u nella regione del South West Mau

The article examines the results of the Commission of Inquiry into the Illegal/Irregular Allocation of Public Land related to the case study of the Mau forest (Rift Valley region). The Commission’s work (2002-05) has brought to light the close link between land and political patronage, illustrating how land allocation has been used by the political, judicial and military élite to pursue their own political and personal interests. The paper aims to reflect on the effects of the Ndung’u Commission Report in the south-western region of the Mau forest; in particular, it analyses the process of “degazettement” that in the period of democratic transition (1991-2002) led to the conversion of large portions of forest into agricultural land.