Assessing fairness in land and property valuation and compensation during expropriation: evidence from Hawassa City, Ethiopia

Ethiopia increasingly uses expropriation to support urban development, yet property valuation and compensation remain complex. This study assesses the extent to which compensation practices during land expropriation are fair and adequate in Hawassa City. A mixed research method was employed. Quantitative data were collected from expropriated households and analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression, while qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The findings reveal that compensation practices in Hawassa are perceived as inadequate and unfair. Approximately 85.5% of affected households reported that the compensation received did not reflect the value of their losses. Logistic regression results indicate that compensation adequacy is significantly influenced by distance to services, delays in payment, education level, and business interruption. Overall, the study demonstrates a clear gap between Ethiopia’s legal provisions’ and actual implementation .and calls for reforms that incorporate market-based valuation approaches to achieve sustainable urban development.