The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has banned unauthorized agents and land brokers from conducting any business at Land Registries across the country.
The State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, says that government cannot allow commercial land vendors and hawkers near land registries and National Land Information Centers as they have the capacity to steal and profit from accessing registered and secured data or even to sabotage the nation.
Dr. Mayanja issued the directive while reopening the Wakiso Ministry Lands Zonal Offices in Wakiso District on Wednesday. On September 29, the Minister took an administrative decision to temporally close the Wakiso Ministerial Zonal Offices – MZO.
With the new directive, the minister, says that only landowners shall be allowed to transact at land registries and where a landowner is unable to personally appear at any given MZO, he or she may engage the services of legally authorized professionals to lodge documents on their behalf.
He identified the authorized agents registered by their respective professional and regulatory bodies such as advocates, registered physical planners, registered surveyors, registered architects and appointed Bank officers.
Dr Mayanja said that the agents shall carry copies of their respective valid National Identify cards and practising certificates for purposes of identification, adding that the measures are designed to link every transaction to the originator.
“This procedure shall place the obligations on the professionals to ensure that taxes are paid and proper documents are filed. This shall go a long way to maintain a proper and clean land registered system in our Country,” he added.
According to the Minister, the Wakiso Land office had been abused where everybody had an agent.
He introduced a team of workers and directed them to clear the backlog within 30 days and eliminate manual entries of titles within the same period. “Any transaction spotted to remain on the system unattended for 24 hours shall invite sanctions,” the minister said.
Dr. Mayanja castigated the reduction of professionalism in the work at the Wakiso Land Office, saying that it necessitated the temporary closure of the land offices. He revealed that Bibanja holders should jubilate because there is no law that allows their eviction for any reason.
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It is a good approach.