*4.5. Resolving Land Tenure Disputes*

For both peri-urban and rural areas, dispute resolution mechanisms were assessed and analyzed in terms of their success and applications. The Pearson chi-square test results in Table 5 show that the differences between the rural and the peri-urban areas are significant. Though most of the disputes have been resolved in both areas, the percentage of solved cases in rural areas is higher (about 86%) compared to that of peri-urban areas (about 71%).


**Table 5.** Locational scenarios of land tenure dispute resolution.

Note: Statistical significance: Fischer's exact test *p* < 0.05. The test results have demonstrated marked statistical significance (a χ<sup>2</sup> = 7.359, df = 1, *p* < 0.007).

> Table 6 shows that from the available systems of conflict resolution, communities typically use alternative dispute resolutions mechanisms as these are seen to be the most effective methods of land tenure dispute resolution in both study sites (69%). Though ADR mechanisms play a pivotal role in resolving land tenure disputes in both study areas, analysis shows that higher frequencies of disputes are being resolved by ADR mechanisms in rural areas (76%) compared to peri-urban areas (63%). This is likely because of the parties involved in disputes in these two locations. When there are power inequalities, the application of negotiation, negotiation-assisted processes, and arbitration is not sufficient, as outcomes usually will benefit the more powerful party. Legislative processes play pivotal roles in such circumstances [34]. That is why, in peri-urban areas, the frequency of litigation in land dispute resolution is higher (21%) than in rural areas (16%).

The most commonly employed ADR mechanism to resolve land tenure disputes in the study areas is mediation (Figure 2) with a higher rate in rural areas. The data show that compared to peri-urban areas, more land tenure disputes are resolved by mediation in the rural areas. The second most employed ADR mechanism for land tenure dispute resolution in both locations is arbitration, followed by negotiation.

**Figure 2.** Employed ADR mechanisms.


**Table 6.** Dispute resolution systems.
