Mwinyi to launch Sh111 billion aerial land survey in Zanzibar

Unguja. The President of Zanzibar, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, is expected to launch a digital land surveying project worth €37 million, equivalent to Sh111.19 billion.

The launch slated for Monday, July 27, 2026, aims to modernise the archipelago's land management system.

The initiative, titled the Land Administration and Regulatory Information System (Laris), will be officially launched at Nungwi Airport in North Unguja Region, utilizing a specialized aircraft to collect aerial land data.

Addressing journalists ahead of the launch on Sunday, July 26, 2026, the Zanzibar Land Commission executive secretary, Mr Mussa Kombo Bakari, said that the two-year project aims to survey 25,000 land parcels in its initial phase.

"The official launch will feature a symbolic event deploying the aircraft designated for aerial photography and data collection, transforming Zanzibar's land sector from analogue to digital," said Mr Bakari.

The aircraft, sourced from France, has arrived and will complete 34 flight hours over a three-month operational window.

Financed through a government loan, 85 percent funded by France's BPI Bank and 15 percent by CRDB Bank PLC, the project seeks to eliminate data inaccuracies stemming from obsolete technologies.

"This critical project represents a decisive step by the government to overhaul land management and registration across Zanzibar," added Mr Bakari, noting that while the project will not immediately survey all land, it establishes a unified platform to store and integrate future spatial data.

Historically, various government departments operated isolated record systems.

Laris will consolidate these fragmented databases into a single, accessible portal.

Residents expressed optimism regarding the initiative.

A resident of Nungwi, Mnemo Issa Haji, noted that boundary disputes have escalated in the northern region due to unsurveyed plots, voicing confidence that digital mapping will resolve long-standing conflicts.