Land laws must be clear, says Law Society

Malawi Law Society president Patrick Mpaka has stressed the importance of the amended land laws to be clear for the public to know what they entail.

He said this on Thursday in Blantyre during a meeting Ministry of Lands held with the society to raise awareness on the amended Land Laws.

Said Mpaka: “The law exists to serve a purpose. So, issues of law like that of Land Act, must be clear, fair and predictable. Anyone must look at the law and say we can do this or we can’t do this. When there’s stability, even investors will say when we go to Malawi this is the position of the law.”

He applauded the Ministry of Lands for organising the meeting, saying lawyers have a crucial role to play in sensitising the public on the new laws.

“We are the experts of law, but the [land] laws have just changed and we all need to be on the same page. After the sensitisation meeting we will go out with the fresh understanding to carry the correct content of the message of the land laws,” he said.

Ministry of Lands Secretary responsible for technical services Kwame Ngwira said they rolled out the meetings as part of the communication strategy to allay fears on the misconception of the new laws.

“One of the major issues is that the land laws are restricting non-citizens of Malawi ownership of land, therefore, the country is making it difficult for investors to come to Malawi. This is a misconception,” she said.

Ngwira said the laws have addressed issues of a few individuals possessing more land, saying: “yet it is the right of every Malawian to own land”.