In Cameroon, large numbers of people are leaving the countryside in the hope of a better life in towns and cities. 

This exodus is driven by high poverty in rural regions and is further exacerbated by the ongoing conflicts in many parts of the country.

When they get to cities such as the capital, Yaounde, or the economic hub, Douala, people often want to buy land and have a place to call their own.

In the recent years, commercial banks have widened categories of assets that are considered for secured lending perhaps due to improved measures of risk mitigation.

Of particular interest has been the Bibanja Interests on land which the commercial banks now accept as collateral for secured lending.

The Government in 2017 put in place Guidelines for Compensation Assessment under Land Acquisition Act.

These proposals are for reform of laws relating to land acquisition by the Government, and they include the amendment to the Land Acquisition Act (Cap 226) in order to bring it into conformity with Article 26 of the Constitution of Uganda. This has remained a big concern among the citizens who lack clarity and specificity on how to deal with land acquisition issues.

The State is set to roll out a value index to make Kenya’s land market transparent and cut wasteful public project spending due to speculative activity that drives up costs, the World Bank has said.

The long-awaited index is also expected to boost own-source revenue collection by counties from land property.

Kenya currently lacks standardised land value information—a loophole that has been exploited by cartels over the years to entrench fraud and exploitation in property prices.

The State is set to roll out a value index to make Kenya’s land market transparent and cut wasteful public project spending due to speculative activity that drives up costs, the World Bank has said.

The long-awaited index is also expected to boost own-source revenue collection by counties from land property.

Kenya currently lacks standardised land value information—a loophole that has been exploited by cartels over the years to entrench fraud and exploitation in property prices.

Opondo Cathy, (not real name due to the sensitivity of the matter), has never owned even a small radio in her entire life. This is a clear indication that the villager may not be aware of critical developments in the country. And this does not come as a shock, since the first time she heard the news of the COVID-19 in Uganda was when she visited her neighbor who’s 500 meters away from her home, barely a month after Uganda had even registered a first case COVID-19.

He had heard from around the town that there was an elderly but vibrant woman selling a piece of her land in Nkozi, close to Uganda Martyrs University.

At the time, Nkozi did not have the status and population it does now. In 2003, a young Vincent Agaba acquired the land.

“A quarter of an acre at Shs3m,” he says.  Agaba was neither employed nor earning from any other source. It was from his pocket money that he saved money to acquire the sizeable land.

The Ministry of Lands has announced that its Central Lands Registry at the headquarters in Upper Hill has been permanently shut down.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, June 2, Lands CS Farida Karoney disclosed that all the files found in the registry will be moved to county branches.

She explained that the ministry had resorted to the move in an attempt to curb rampant corruption that had scuttled the office for years.

Karoney further noted that the files of Nairobi properties would be moved to the county's registry branch.

Nayiare Noonkiba does not stand out from other Maasai women in Mara North despite the powerful position she holds in her community. 

An owner of huge swathes of land, a leader and a women's rights advocate across the Mara conservancies, Noonkiba's influence in her community is unmatched. 

At Nashulai Conservancy, Noonkiba sits on the powerful land control board. She also owns land in five conservancies dotting the Mara.

The Arab Land Initiative, facilitated by the Global Land Tool Network and UN-Habitat, is launching a call for proposals to solicit the interest from organisations working in the Arab region to the twinning arrangement initiative. The initiative aims at pairing two organisations from countries in the Arab region (or one from the region and one from outside the region) to exchange knowledge and experiences, and build networks in the area of good land governance and land administration.

PETALING JAYA: Two top government officials have explained why the government has been provided emergency powers for access to private land, building or movable property and resources while dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

KUALA LUMPUR Jan 15 — The recently gazetted Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021 grants powers to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or anyone authorised by him, to take temporary possession of any land, building or moveable property.