Getting land title deeds in Tanzania has just become cheaper, here is how much

Dar es Salaam. The government has reduced the land title deed premium levy from 2.5 to 1 per cent in a fresh bid to make it easy for the majority Tanzanians to secure the important documents. 

Land, Housing and Human Settlements Development minister William Lukuvi told a land stakeholders meeting in Dar es Salaam on Friday, July 13, that the new levy was effective July 1, 2018.

He said the move was aimed at enabling more Tanzanians to easily secure title deeds.

“President John Magufuli ordered the ministry to do so with a view to ensuring that all Tanzanians are granted land title deeds,” he said.

In 2016, Mr Lukuvi told Parliament that his ministry targetted to issue 450,500 land title deeds and related legal documents in the 2016/2017 financial year.

He said his ministry was determined to ensure that all Tanzanians who legally possessed land were issued with legal documents to justify their ownership. 

Stakeholders who attended the meeting at Karimjee Hall include land surveyors and local government officers.

The minister instructed private firms dealing with land surveys and issuance of title deed services to reduce the service fees to Sh250,000, saying the majority Tanzanians could not afford the current costs of Sh300,000 minimum.

He also ordered that details of the bank accounts opened by the firms to facilitate land surveying and issuance of land title deeds should be made public and overseen by the citizens themselves to avoid fraud.

In addition, private firms will now be consulting with district councils when conducting their services to address concerns about bribes involving councillors.

“From today, land surveying and the issuance of title deeds procedures will be coordinated by district councils, and not private firms,” he said.

The government has already registered at least 130 private firms dealing with land use planning and land surveying in the country

Mr Lukuvi instructed land departments at all levels to enhance public awareness campaigns saying the majority Tanzanians lacked knowledge on the land formalisation process.

The minister assured land stakeholders that his office was committed to a wide range of reforms to put in place a sustainable land management system, which addresses critical issues such as land degradation and land disputes.