Land Amendment Act to empower the poor—Minister

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Atupele Muluzi has said the newly- passed Land Amendment Bill will not only empower the poor, but also women who struggle to access land due to cultural issues.

The passing of the Bill yesterday means that out of 10 Land-related Bills, only one is remaining.

Speaking after the National Assembly passed the Bill, Muluzi said the new law will enhance land ownership. He said most land currently being occupied has no ownership as most people merely have user rights.

“In Malawi, one can only say they have ownership to land once they possess proper documentation which is a title deed and in most cases, this was only being done by the rich. This development means that anyone, especially the poor, will be able to simply ask the land committee,” he said.

Muluzi further said despite women being the biggest agricultural producers, they are the least when it comes to land ownership.

He said not only do women struggle to access land, but culture, too, does not support such initiatives.

“In addition, due to patrilineal system, women are not able to cultivate land. Young women are also in particular struggling to access land. I am very happy that all this will be an issue of the past once the implementation phase begins,” he said.

Muluzi also said the process of registration is free and all necessary measures have been put forward to ensure that chiefs are not abusing their rights.

“There are also committees which will be put in place to ensure that women are also part of the committee, which will be responsible for recommending to the chiefs on how best land can also be shared,” he added. n