The Lands and Natural Resources Department is among the departments that forms the Hai District Council. This department is mainly divided into two sections which are Lands and Natural Resources. The two sections make the department appear so huge with variety of requirements to meet its goals.
2.0 Lands Section:
The Lands section is also divided into about five subsections as they appear hereunder:
2:1 Lands Administration:
This is the part that deals with all issues of lands management and administration. All the plans concerning land should start cum have the approval of the land administration. The incharge of this part is known as the District Land Development Officer who is usually the Authorised Land Officer. Most councils no longer have the district land development officer but rather they prefer and use the Authorised Land Officer. Some of the functions of this subsection are as analysed below:
i.To manage all the issues of planning, surveying and allocations of the lands in respective areas of administration,
ii.To allocate land and manage the development thereat,
iii.Land titling in both urban and village land,
iv.Resolving land disputes arising from various use of land,
v.To make sure that development conditions are adhered to by the land occupiers,
vi.Collecting land rent and other government dues concerning land, and
vii.To approve various land transactions.
2.2 Survey and Mapping:
As the name explains itself, this subsection deals with the survey of land planned for various uses. The main objectives of surveying land is to identify it, to demarcate and make it legal for the allocation. The core duties of this subsection include:
i. To survey the land already planned,
ii. To demarcate plots and farms boundaries by beacons,
iii. To identify administrative boundaries between villages, districts, regions and even between cum among countries,
iv. To prepare and produce various survey maps, and
v. To approve deed plans for titling.
2.3 Urban and village planning:
This deals with planning of land for sorts of uses with regards to community needs. Some of the core objectives of the subsection are:
i.To prepare land use plans,
i.To initiate all plans and applications for change of use on lands,
ii.To prepare land use plans for the village land,
iii.Preparation of master plans in their administrative areas,
iv.Preparations of detailed plans for the land uses,
v.To prepare town planning drawings and use maps,
vi.To supervise and control land use conditions according to the plan,
2.4 Valuation:
This deals with the valuation of both landed and non landed properties for various reasons or requirements. Some of its duties include the following:
i.To carry out valuations for compensations,
ii.To estimate land rents payable by the clients and propery tax,
iii.Carrying out valuation for various land transactions e.g dispositions, and
iv.Carrying out asset valuations.
2.5 Cartography:
i.To process maps for various needs,
ii.To prepare deed plans to be approved by the registered surveyor,
iii.To design and prepare various kinds of drawings.
2.0. Natural Resources:
The Natural Resources Section is divided into two subsections namely forest management and game.
3.1 Forest Management:
During forestry management, the important activities that are carried out are the following:
i)To carry out inspections for controlling environmental degradation,
ii)To inspect dangerous trees reported by indigenous,
iii)To educate the community on the issues of environmental care,
iv)To make public awareness on issues environment within the district,
v)To inspire/sensitize tree planting for environmental care,
vi)Controlling deforestation,
vii)To advise on granting permission where cutting trees is necessary,
viii)To protect and manage natural resources available within the district, and
ix)To conserve water sources.
3.2 Game:
i)To conserve wild animals as natural resources of the country,
ii)To control crops destructive animals, and
iii)To protect and conserve animals ecology against any danger.
3.0. Laws applicable:
There are various laws that are applicable in management of the land and natural resources matters in the department and the country as a whole. Some of the laws are the following:
i.The Land Act No. 4 of 1999,
ii.The Village Land Act No. 5 of 1999,
iii.The Urban Planning Act No. 8 of 2007,
iv.The Land Disputes Court Act No. 2 of 2002,
v.The Valuation and Valuers Registration Act No. 5 of 2016,
vi.The Urban Authorities (Rating) Act of 1983,
vii.The Land Registration Act Cap 334,
viii.The Registration of Documents Acts Cap 117,
ix.The Land Regulations , 2001
x.The Village Land Regulations, 2001,
xi.The Forest Act No. 14 of 2002,
xii.The Environmental Management Act No. 20 of 2004
4.0. strategies to implement the laws:
In recent days and before before the 5th government came into power, there has been the tendecy of ignoring the law by the public. Some of the land occupiers do not care paying land rent, others do not develop their plots as required by law hence they have turned into bushes and endager the life of the neighbours around, while others do develop their plots but withou having building permits or even change the land uses without adhering to the laws.
All these in one way or another contribute to the land disputes within the society. Failure to develop the plots in time according to the law, has led to invasion of those plot which eventually results into disputes. Some people have a wrong view that open spaces and green belts are lands without owners; hence they are invading and develop without a legal course.
Apart from that, there is another challenge of cutting trees by using chain saws which are very destructive to the environment. And they do so without having been legally permitted. All these are intolerable illegalities.
In the other case there is an emergence of religious men and women calling themselves men of God, they emerge and plots designed for residential purposes, but the use the same to develop or building houses of prayers. With all the importance of this spiritual service to the community, regards has to be made to the laws as the out cry against these churches and nuisance caused by them is highly increasing.
4.1 Available strategies:
(i)To inspect all those areas which have been developed without adhering the laws and act accordingly,
(ii)Issuing notices of revocation to all occupiers who have not developed their plots and never paid land rent,
(iii)Issuing notices of revocation to those who have failed to develop their plots and changed their use into churches,
(iv)To proceed with the dispute resolution process administrative and or other state organs,
(v)To encourage the public to pay land rent to meet the goals set by the government,
(vi)To educate the public on both land and environmental laws for them to be aware,
(vii)To encourage the community at large to plant trees and only cut them on permission,
(viii)To take legal actions where necessary to all those who will infringe the law,
5.0 Challenges:
The main challenges among others are the following:
1.Shortage of personnel,
2.Lack of working facilities such as transport for regular inspection and scouting,
3.Budget constraints,
4.Little knowledge of the public on land and environmental laws,
Prepared by the Lands and Natural Resources Department
“Land and environment are the most important gifts in our lives, protect them“
