PARLEY COMMITTEE REJECTS BILL 13
PARLIAMENT has rejected the now infamous Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill No 13 of 2025, branding it a threat to property rights as it would undermine land security tenure.
The Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources on the Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill No 13 has warned that granting unilateral powers to an individual has the potential for abuse and undue influence by those in higher positions and with political power.
Sources from Parliament have disclosed that the Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources has rejected Bill 13 and has since recommended its deferment for further and wider consultations.
According to the sources, the Committee, comprising nine members and chaired by Kasauta Michelo, the Bwengwa UPND Member of Parliament is gravely concerned most of the stakeholders that appeared before it were never consulted when government came up with Bill 13.
The sources are of the fears that proceeding to enact a bill as sensitive as Bill 13 into law would negatively affect citizens.
“The Committee (on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources) is concerned that the Minister, unlike the Chief Registrar is a political appointee, who may lack the technical expertise and legal training to reverse or confirm the decision of the Chief Registrar on complex matters of land and may politicise the process, leading to decisions being made on political considerations rather than strictly on the law and facts,” one of the sources said.
The sources stated that the Committee has since recommended that government should consider to immediately defer the now rejected Bill 13 for further and wider consultations with stakeholders.
The sources explained that the Committee had observed that the proposed Bill 13 under clause 2 was directly in contradiction with the principle of guaranteed property ownership that was provided for in sections 33 and 34 of the Principal Act, which states that a certificate of title was conclusive evidence of ownership and was not easily impeachable.
“In fact the Committee has noted that granting an administrative officer in the form of Chief Registrar, with the powers to cancel a certificate of title, especially on grounds of fraud or error, will fundamentally undermine the security of tenure and property rights,” the source said.
They stated that it was the view of the Committee that the definition of an ‘interest person’ in Bill 13 was too broad and risked being interpreted to include any person, including persons with no direct legal or equitable interest in the land.
Daily Nation Zambia
Thank you. I personally think the persons that brought up the concept to government and cabinet should rethink their stay in public service.
Its was a very selfish and selfserving idea that any sane lawyer would never accept.
There is no way the idea would have been acceptable in the coridors of Mulungushi House. Its land on which individuals work hard to aquire and invest in.
If there is rot in illegally aquired property, the Ministry needs to sue to revoke those titles. But I would be my own life, that this rife behavior is archored in staff and Party Zealots who yearn for land and what others have worked for. Instead of aquiring it correctly, they now embarass this administration with such a hair brain concept. Am glad that within the UPND leadership in Parliament, there are people who are not a rubber stamp to bad laws. Zimoko, twalumba, twatotela, litumezi…..and sorry for the languages I dont know how to say thank you…but Thank you to this committee.
Hakainde Hichilema and his Bills…
Zambians are alert and all Stealthy Bills will never become Law in Zambia.
The Hate Speech Bill, Bill 7, the CSO Bill, the Chickens Theft Bill, The Land administration Bill, and all those bills prepared in Bedrooms will never become Law in Zambia.
And we await the Delimitation report and the full Census Report.
We are not a secret society…We are a Democracy, and no Imingalato will prevail in our Country.
Power to witness Attorney D. Jere and others. Property rights power/development
The rejection rate of UPND bills is unprecedented mainly because the driver may have a habit of not consulting the right people, it is for this reason that they see an easy 2026 against what the majority are seeing