LUSAKA: The House of Chiefs has deferred consultations on the review of the Lands Act of 1995 and the Draft Guidelines on Customary Land Certification until consultations at provincial levels are done.
During the House of Chiefs Session that started on 8th April, 2024, the House was scheduled to consider the proposed amendments to the Lands Act and Guidelines of Customary Land Certification.
However, the House noted that matters related to the administration of land needed to be discussed starting at provincial level where all chiefs are represented before being tabled at National level. This is in line with the bottom-up approach in the consultation process.
Further, the House of Chiefs noted that customary land administration hinges on customary governance and practices which differ from one chiefdom to another. It is therefore, imperative that many stakeholders are given an opportunity to have a say on this important document.
The House of Chiefs wish to urge the Ministry of Lands to ensure that this wider consultation is undertaken in order to develop a law that will be accepted and owned by a wider section of key stakeholders.
The House further noted that matters related to land administration are critical to the development of the Nation and therefore, all key stakeholders should be taken on board in the consultation process.