PARLEY COMMITEE REJECTS BILL 13 Deferred

The Bill sought to grant a junior civil servant, an adminsitrator, judicial and adjucating powers. The Bill sought to grant the Chief Registrar the power to cancel a Certificate of Title.

We exposed this story yesterday;

State House Panics as Parliamentary Committee Rejects Bill 13 ( Amendment to Lands & Deeds Register)

….President Hakainde Hichilema Pressures Parliamentary Committee to Change Rejected Position…

The Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources has been holding wide consultative meetings to hear submission on Bill 13.

Bill 13 also known as The Lands And Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill ,of 2025 has roundly been rejected by nearly all stakeholders.

The object of this Bill is to amend the Lands and Deeds Registry Act so as to grant a junior civil servant, the Chief Registrar, the power to cancel Certificate of Title of land.

In the final outcome, the Committee has rejected the Bill and proposed that it be sent back to the Ministry of Justice until sufficient consultations were done and stakeholders’ concerns were taken into account.

Upon learning of the rejection, President Hakainde Hichilema phoned and directed Committee Chairperson, Bweengwa MP, Michelo Kasauta to ensure that the Committee immediately reconvened and changed its voted position.

An angry Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti, who has traveled outside the country, also called some Committee members trying to persuade them to pass and forward the Bill to the House for consideration.

Members are surprised at this excessive overreach where State House is interfering with the business of Committees at Parliament!

The powers to cancel title of land are currently vested in the Lands Tribunal Court or the High Court.

Stakeholders have strongly rejected the bill including the Zambia National Farmers Union stating that the Bill is a threat to land tenure security and have accused government of having crafted the land bill without any consultations.

The stakeholders are alarmed with the provision in the Bill that grants the Chief Registrar of Lands tremendous sweeping powers to unilaterally cancel Certificates of Title without due process.

Earlier, Government justified why it wants to take powers of the Lands Tribunal Court to be shifted and vested into an Individual.

Lands and Natural Resources Permanent Secretary, Patrick Mucheleka, says the Lands and Deeds Registry Amendment Bill No. 13 of 2025 will significantly improve efficiency in land administration and strengthen legal safeguards.

But MPs feared that powers granted to a junior officer will be subject to executive abuses similar to what has been witnessed where State House has been abusing the Registrar of Societies.

Key Members of the Committee include:

Tyson Simuzingili

Ackleo Aaron Banda

Peter M Phiri

Andrew Tayengwa

Mweemba Malambo

Lusale John Simbao

Yotam Mtayachalo

Kasautu Saiti Michelo.

The committee’s role is to oversee matters related to agriculture, land, and natural resources within Zambia