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Makululu residents trained on Land rights

• The 70 participants of the workshop are Change Agents, Savings Groups, Study Circle Groups and Sports Mediators drawn from Makululu Township.
• As with any other informal settlement, Makululu residents face a huge challenge in accessing security of tenure documents, known as occupancy licenses.
• Makululu is not only the largest informal settlement in Kabwe, but in Sub-Saharan Africa and is home to over 60,000 residents.

Habitat for Humanity Zambia has observed that residents of Makululu Township in Kabwe, Central Province face a huge challenge in accessing security of tenure documents also known as occupancy licenses.

Speaking to Money FM News, Organization Policy and Advocacy Specialist Farai Shumba said despite the settlement being declared as an Improvement Area in 2015 by the Kabwe Municipal Council, there has been low intake of the occupancy licenses owing to lack of knowledge on the license application process, and inadequate funds to pay for the licensing fees by some of the vulnerable residents.

Mr. Shumba stated that it is for this reason that the Organization in partnership with Zambia Land Alliance is conducting a 6-day Land Rights and Advocacy workshop in Kabwe.
He says the Workshop is aimed at developing an Advocacy Action Plan by engaging community members, the municipality, and civic leaders to raise awareness on the importance of occupancy licenses and procedures for obtaining the documents.
“Habitat for Humanity Zambia in partnership with Zambia Land Alliance is conducting a 6-day Land Rights and Advocacy workshop in Kabwe from 15th to 20th March 2021. The 70 participants of this workshop are Change Agents, Savings Groups, Study Circle Groups and Sports Mediators drawn from Makululu Township.”

“In 2015, the Kabwe Municipal Council declared Makululu as an Improvement Area in line with the Urban and Regional Planning Act of 2015, making Kabwe residents eligible to apply for occupancy licenses. Despite this declaration by the municipality, there has been low intake of the occupancy licenses owing to but not limited to lack of knowledge on the occupancy license application process,” Mr. Shumba said.

He stated that the Plan will devise strategies to engage the municipality to seed up the processing of occupancy licenses, as well as provide a reduced incentive to people that cannot afford the upfront payment of K975.

“As part of the advocacy efforts, the Plan will devise strategies to engage the municipality to expedite the processing of occupancy licenses, as well as engage the municipality to provide a discounted incentive to poor households that cannot afford the upfront payment of K975.00.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Shumba disclosed that the organizations are also working to ensure that the project benefits women who are in most cases traditionally disadvantaged from owning land and property.

“There is a deliberate bias in this training even in the overall project in terms of ensuring that women who are traditionally and culturally disadvantage from owning land and property, we are trying to put their rights at the forefront in terms of getting them to have their names indicated on these occupancy licenses either as individuals or joint ownership with their spouses.”

“We are very hopeful that many of these informal settlement settlers will come forward because we do have a very formidable relationship with the Kabwe Municipal Council, they have been very supportive and responsive to the needs of the urban poor,” he added.

Makululu is not only the largest informal settlement in Kabwe, but in Sub-Saharan Africa and is home to over 60,000 residents.

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