GOVT ADMITS INADEQUATE CONSULTATION CONTRIBUTED TO DISCONTENT OVER DEFERRED LANDS AND DEEDS BILL
Government has admitted that inadequate consultation may have contributed to the controversy surrounding the now deferred Lands and Deeds Bill, which is meant to make it easier to resolve land disputes and protect the integrity of land records.
Speaking on when he featured on the Friday edition of “Let the People Talk” on Phoenix FM, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources Principal Legal Officer Jonathan Ngo’nga, says the bill is designed to allow the Chief Registrar to cancel fraudulent or erroneous titles before the matters escalate to court at a time when the system is open to abuse through corrupt practices and fake land titles.
Mr. Ngo’nga says the proposal was to bring back powers that used to exist for over 100 years but were lost after a 2014 court ruling in the case of Coopers versus Mwanandani, when the court ruled that the Chief Registrar could not cancel a certificate of title without a court order.
He has however admitted that consultations were not as wide as they should have been, and says government will now consult more stakeholders before deciding whether or not to reintroduce the bill to Parliament.
Mr. Ngo’nga adds that the bill also included safeguards, such as the right to appeal decisions of the Chief Registrar to a tribunal while addressing concerns that the law could allow political interference, highlighting that all land in Zambia is held by the political office of President, while the Minister is an office of appeal in land disputes.
PN
There was absolutely no need and no value in this Principal Legal Officer to appear on “Let the people talk” on the issue of the bill which had already been deferred as earlier announced by the Committee with reasons.