Parley Committee rejects Bill 13

By NATION REPORTER

PARLIAMENT has rejected the now infamous Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill No 13 of 2025, branding it a threat to property rights as it would undermine land security tenure.
The Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources on the Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill No 13 has warned that granting unilateral powers to an individual has the potential for abuse and undue influence by those in higher positions and with political power.
Sources from Parliament have disclosed that the Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources has rejected Bill 13 and has since recommended its deferment for further and wider consultations.
According to the sources, the Committee, comprising nine members and chaired by Kasauta Michelo, the Bwengwa UPND Member of Parliament is gravely concerned most of the stakeholders that appeared before it were never consulted when government came up with Bill 13.
The sources are of the fears that proceeding to enact a bill as sensitive as Bill 13 into law would negatively affect citizens. “The Committee (on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources) is concerned that the Minister, unlike the Chief Registrar is a political appointee, who may lack the technical expertise and legal training to reverse or confirm the decision of the Chief Registrar on complex matters of land and may politicise the process, leading to decisions being made on political considerations rather than strictly on the law and facts,” one of the sources said.
The sources stated that the Committee has since recommended that government should consider to immediately defer the now rejected Bill 13 for further and wider consultations with stakeholders.
The sources explained that the Committee had observed that the proposed Bill 13 under clause 2 was directly in contradiction with the principle of guaranteed property ownership that was provided for in sections 33 and 34 of the Principal Act, which states that a certificate of title was conclusive evidence of ownership and was not easily impeachable. “In fact the Committee has noted that granting an administrative officer in the form of Chief Registrar, with the powers to cancel a certificate of title, especially on grounds of fraud or error, will fundamentally undermine the security of tenure and property rights,” the source said.
They stated that it was the view of the Committee that the definition of an ‘interest person’ in Bill 13 was too broad and risked being interpreted to include any person, including persons with no direct legal or equitable interest in the land.