Government turns to digital tools to tackle land disputes as MPs want action

Dar es Salaam. The Parliament approved the budget for the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development for the 2024/25 fiscal year amid a heated debate on land conflicts.

 Debating Sh171.37 billion budget, the Lawmakers took the government to task, demanding that something must be done to reduce land conflicts.

But the government, through the minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Mr Jerry Silaa, believes the planned introduction of a new digital system aimed at revolutionising land services and streamlining dispute resolution processes will turn disputes into things of the past.

The proposed integrated land management information system (ILMIS) is slated to digitise land services, providing citizens with online access to essential land-related functions, Mr Silaa said told the Parliament on Friday last week.

But during the two days of the debate, it was apparent that Tanzania needs a lasting solution to the problem.

Mr Constantine Kanyasu (Geita Urban – CCM) highlighted a long-standing conflict in Geita resulting from conflicting laws that deprive original landowners of their rights

He stated that the mining law gives license holders rights to minerals underground, including the power to block other developments until they decide to use it.

“This has led to approximately seven neighborhoods having their land encroached upon and their right to land ownership denied for 25 years,” he said.

“The challenge in resolving long-standing conflicts stems from the performance of ministry officials, as we have seen you solve some conflicts that have lasted for 20 years within a day during your tour across the country,” he said.

Ms Condester Sichalwe (Momba - CCM) accused land officials of being untrustworthy and stated that there were powerful minority groups in Dodoma city who oppress low-income citizens

Their Moshi Rural counterpart, Prof Patrick Ndakidemi, noted that some individuals were still obstructing the government's efforts to address land issues.

But on Friday, Mr Silaa said: “It will eliminate the challenge of losing documents submitted by citizens as they will be submitted through the online system. It will also increase transparency and accountability at all levels of operation as leaders will be able to monitor the progress of task execution.”

He said this system would also be integrated with other government systems to facilitate service delivery and address the challenge of counterfeit land ownership documents, thereby controlling land disputes.

“The system will commence operation in the first phase in the regions of Arusha, Tanga, Mbeya, Mwanza, and Dodoma by June 2024," said Mr Silaa.

The minister said the ministry plans to make ICT a crucial tool for conducting land sector activities.

In the fiscal year 2023/24, the Ministry planned to resolve 6,550 administrative disputes, but by May 15, 2024, a total of 7,885 conflicts had been resolved.

Housing sector

According to his speech, Silaa said the government has also continued to create enabling environments for access to housing development services, including facilitating access to affordable housing loans.

He said as of May 15, 2024, the Government, through the Tanzania Mortgage Refinancing Company (TMRC), has enabled 31 financial institutions to provide affordable housing loans amounting to a total of Sh587 billion.

For real estate, the government is finalizing the preparation of laws and regulations to govern and compile a database of developers and agents.

“These proposals, among other things, aim to establish the Real Estate Regulatory Authority to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the management and coordination of this vital sector for the country's economy,” he said.

Chairman of the Parliamentary committee on Land, Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Timotheo Mnzava (Korogwe Rural -CCM) said its their recommendation that the government continue to allocate funds for land surveying and land use planning in many areas across the country for better management.

“The government should increase personnel in the land sector to help control unplanned construction and oversee proper land use nationwide,” he said.