Dodoma — MINISTRY of Land, Housing and Human Settlement Development has assured Members of Parliament of its commitment to end land disputes by surveying the entire land of the country and encourage its proper use.
Winding up the debate for the budget estimates of her docket, Minister for Land, Housing and Human Settlement Development Angelina Mabula said her office will embark on a massive land mapping programme in the next financial year to address the growing land conflicts.
She said the ministry is well organised to end land disputes and prevent the occurrence of new ones by speeding up the surveying process.
The minister was forced to make the commitment following concerns raised by MPs with regard to conflicts that have consistently been occurring between pastoralists and farmers who were conducting businesses in reserved areas with some of them attempting to block endorsement of the budget.
During the debate, majority of legislators advised the government to look at how best it can handle land disputes as well as conflicts that have been recurring in various parts of the country, some threatening people’s lives.
The minister said further that the ministry shall continue putting in place a conducive environment for accessing land for investment and improving government collection from the sector through the use of technology.
She insisted that the government would continue putting the marks on borders between Tanzania and Kenya (80 kilometers) together with that of Burundi which covers a distance of 100 kilometers.
Apart from enhancing the visibility of international borders, the ministry shall also survey borders of 200 villages, prepare plans for land use in the villages and approve 200,000 traditional title deeds.
During his contribution, Tarime Rural MP, Mwita Waitara had advised the government to look at how best compensation can timely be paid to persons, including giving due consideration to the value of their land and properties.
Ms Mabula moved her budget estimates in the august House on Thursday, outlining six top priorities that include land ownership, investing in ICT in documentation, accessibility of land related information, preparing a friendly environment for investors as well as increasing pace for surveying and formalisation of land by ensuring that all land owners have tittle deeds.
The lawmakers finally endorsed the 171.4bn/- budget for the ministry’s 2023/24 expenditures.
ENDS/Rodgers/Anderson
The Ministry will make sure that there are no new conflicts which occur and address the existing ones which have lasted for a long time,” Dr Mabula said.
She further explained that through the 150 million US dollars equivalent to 355bn/- loan provided by World Bank the ministry will use the money to address the shortage of surveying infrastructure, electronic systems, settlement improvement and shortage of upcountry offices to speed up the process.
Dr Mabula explained that most of the land disputes have lasted for a long time but they all originate from the grassroots but most local executives do not address them as a result they grow and brought in Parliament.
She said in efforts to address the land disputes President Samia Suluhu Hassan approved 2,385,326 acres which had conflicts to be left to wananchi, the situation that helped a lot in addressing various land deputes in the country.
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