District warns land buyers against deals done outside municipal offices

Following the rapid population growth in the country’s most populous municipality, he said, the area has been experiencing high levels of land invasions, adding that there are conmen involved in these illegal sales of land.

Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salam at the weekend, Kinondoni Municipal Urban Planning Officer Juliana Letera disclosed that legal action will be taken against anyone caught involved in the illegal land sale business.
According to her, all land acquisition procedures in municipalities are never done at the lower levels of local government offices or by individuals, but only in municipal offices warning dealers to be aware of that.

“This must be clear to those city dwellers intending to purchase land from unsuspecting landowners or local government offices to build their homes or carry out any sort of investment,” the official said.

“The public is warned that buying land from these local government authorities assure them of proof of ownership and may result in legal action being taken against anyone, and this could result in financial implications,” she warned.

Letera said the municipality will not hesitate to evict people, demolish any structures built on the land without prior approval and prevent future illegal occupation.

“Land invasion undermines proper planning processes, prejudices rightful beneficiaries of housing opportunities, impacts negatively on housing delivery processes and sometimes interrupts service delivery indefinitely.” she said.

For his part, Assistant Director Urban Planning in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development George Pangawe urged citizens to adhere to all legal procedures whenever they want to develop any piece of land.

He added that the government, through its Ministry oversees the proper use of land development, urging the public to support government efforts to manage the rules and regulations governing the land sector.

“We are struggling to ensure that every piece of land is properly and legally used for sustainable development of our country,” he added.