Local government authorities have a responsibility of surveying and putting in place land use plans in their respective areas rather than the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, it has been revealed.
The Acting Registrar of District Land and House Tribunals, Ms Jane Kapongo, made the clarification in Dar es Salaam when responding to questions from journalists during a news conference at the Information Services (Maelezo) auditorium.
“The ministry is charged with overseeing implementation of Land Legislation and Policy and also resolving land disputes when they arise,” Ms Kapongo said. She noted, however, that the majority of local government authorities in the country lack resources for conducting surveys of land in their areas.
The authorities include city councils, district councils as well as municipalities. Regarding land conflicts, the official said the skirmishes are mostly caused by unethical land officials and citizens on the other hand due to lack of knowledge of legislations and regulations covering land.
“There are also limited surveyed plots compared to actual needs and this has made some people be cheated and this problem is rampant in Dar es Salaam, particularly in Kinondoni Municipality,” she explained.
Lack of proper land use especially in rural areas is also to blame for land conflicts between livestock keepers and farmers and also between villagers and investors, according to the official.
Ms Kapongo was of a view that if there was adequate funds in place the government would have been in a position to create a land bank which would be availed for investments and other uses.
By ALVAR MWAKYUSA, Tanzania Daily News
