Tanzania halts local leaders’ involvement in land sales to curb fraud

Dar es Salaam. To combat the rising incidence of fraud in land sales, the government has instructed local governments to cease their involvement in land sale transactions.

Additionally, the government has instructed the Commissioner for Lands in the Dar es Salaam region to expedite the issuance of new land purchase documents to prevent fraud.

The Minister of Lands, Housing, and Human Settlements, Jerry Slaa, announced this on Wednesday, June 5, during the arrest of three individuals suspected to be part of a land fraud syndicate in Tuangoma, Temeke District.

The suspects are accused of selling several plots of land owned by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), including those located at Malela Street in Tuangoma Ward, Temeke District.

"I instruct the Commissioner for Land, Dar es Salaam region, to halt the land fraud promptly. This decisive action is essential to ensure public compliance with the law," he stated firmly.

According to him, the decision to come up with new documents for land purchases will ensure the people involved in the sale, including witnesses, are committed and easy to trace wherever they are.

He emphasised that there are often public protests when the government decides to demolish houses built by individuals who have illegally occupied land without realising that these individuals have violated the law.

"I am serious about ending land disputes in the country,” he said.

Reports show the NSSF project implementation involved the construction of 600 units, which commenced in 2014 and was scheduled to be completed in September 2016.

However, due to various reasons, the project could not be finished in time.

NSSF Property Manager, Geoffrey Timothy, said that the project in Toangoma was stopped in 2016 after the government directed that social security funds stop investing in buildings.

According to him, they received information about the suspects selling land belonging to the fund.

Noting that some have built on a road reserve, among other social services areas.

"We will demolish all the houses of the people who occupied the fund's land illegally," he said.

In another development, the Chairman of Malela Street, Mr Oswin Mkinga, said that the incidents of fraud have persisted over an extended period, perpetrated by certain members of the community and officials at the ward level.

"It is sad to note that some of these land frauds are done by unscrupulous leaders," he said.

According to him, the syndicate is huge, with people being defrauded of their hard-earned money in the guise of selling land.