Manual for Transfers of Rights of Occupa

In Tanzania, transfers of rights of occupancy frequently encounter procedural problems, and as regards land transfers, existing legal structures are inadequate. Case law in this area remains insufficiently documented, is contradictory, and there is a dearth of adequate information to guide practitioners through existing precedents. By way of response to these limiations, this manual addresses aspects of procedures involved in land transfer. It sets out the governing laws and summarises principles governing the acquistion and transfer of rights of occupancy, and regulating land ownership in Tanzania. It covers acquisition of public land by individuals and institutions, and the rights and duties of parties between date of contract and date of completion; and the author makes reference to the new 1999 Village Land and Land Acts. He provides a checklist of the steps constituting a transfer, and in a series of annexes presents in detail the relevant statutory provisions, specimen forms, scales of duties and fees payable. Issa Shivji, renowned academic, Professor of Law, and Advocate to the High Court in Tanzania & Zanzibar, provides a forward to the manual.