Lands Commission (LC)

Lands Commission (LC) established by the 1992 Constitution and accentuated by the Lands Commission Act, 2008, (Act 767). Articles 258 – 265 of the 1992 Constitution are of relevance.

Act 767 provides the legal basis for four (4) previously existed land sector agencies to merge as Divisions of the Lands Commission:

Corporate Head Quarters
Survey and Mapping Division – SMD
Land Registration Division – LRD
Land Valuation Division – LVD
Public and Vested Land Management Division – PVLMD

Vision: “To become a centre of excellence for land services delivery”.

Mission: “To provide high quality, reliable and efficient services in geographic information, guaranteed tenure, property valuation, surveying & mapping through teamwork and modern technology to our stakeholders”.

Functions:

on behalf of the Government, manage public lands and any other lands vested in the President by the Constitution or by any other law and any lands vested in the Commission;
advise the Government, local authorities and traditional authorities on the policy framework for the development of particular areas of the country to ensure that the development of individual pieces of land is coordinated with the relevant development plan for the area concerned;
formulate and submit to Government recommendations on national policy with respect to land use suitability or capability;
advise on, and assist in the execution of, a comprehensive program for the registration of title to land throughout the country;
register deeds and instrument that that affect land throughout the country
facilitate the acquisition of land on behalf of Government;
establish standards for and regulate survey and mapping of the country;
provide surveying and mapping services where necessary;
license practitioners of cadastral survey;
provide land and related valuation services;
ensure that through sound, sustainable land use planning, socio-economic activities are consistent with sound land use through sustainable land use planning in the long term national development goals;
in collaboration with other bodies instil order and discipline into the land market through curbing the incidence of land encroachment, unapproved development schemes, multiple or illegal land sales, land speculation and other forms of land racketeering;
in collaboration with other bodies minimize or eliminate, where possible, the sources of protracted land boundary disputes, conflicts and litigations in order to bring their associated economic costs and socio-political upheavals under control;
promote community participation and public awareness at all levels in sustainable land management and development practices to ensure the highest and best use of land;
promote research into all aspects of land ownership, tenure and the operations of the land market and the land development process;
impose and collect all levies, fees, charges for services rendered;
establish and maintain a comprehensive land information system; and
perform other functions the Minister may assign to it.