Sierra Leone now has new land rights law to promote gender and tribal equality and social justice

After sixty years of procrastination, the Parliament of Sierra Leone has today passed into law “The Customary Land Rights Act 2022”, which the government says will address deep inequalities and discrimination in the ownership and control of land, especially in the provinces.

Presenting the Bill to MPs, the Minister of Land, Housing and Country Planning – Dr. Turad Senesie said the new law will give rights to all Sierra Leoneans to own land anywhere, irrespective of their tribe or gender.

Addressing centuries old discrimination against the Creoles, who under existing laws cannot own land in the provinces, the minister said that with the passing of the Customary Land Right Act 2022, the Creoles will have the right to own land everywhere.

The new law he said will also promote gender equality and ensure that marriage couple can jointly register land ownership. Title to land will be registered in family names to ensure collective consent is secured in disposing of family-owned land. “We want to ensure that the rights of all members of the family are respected,” the minister said.

The Minister vowed to ensure that investments in land ownership and utilisation for development are protected. “The community and country would benefit as they are going to be properly defined,” he promised, indicating that the new law will reduce the number of land dispute cases going to court.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Lands Committee – Quinton Salia-Konneh, said that the new law is historical as it will protect the right of women to own land everywhere in the country.

The Leader of C4C in Parliament – Saa Emerson Lamina said the new law has fulfilled the age-long dream of Queen Masarico who led the Mane Invasion from Mali to Sierra Leone in search of land, and commended the Minister for bringing reforms. He described the new law as progressive.

Hindolo Moiwo Gevea MP, said that with the new law the Creoles will own land in the provinces. The new law he said will also protect the ecosystem, guarantee the right of women to land and reinstate the authority of the chiefs.

Leader of the opposition – Chernor Bah MP, welcomed the new law and said it promotes women’s rights to land ownership in the country. He said that, irrespective of one’s Como tribe, as long as he or she is Sierra Leonean they must have the right to own land anywhere in the country.

Leader of Government Business – Mathew Sahr Nyuma, told fellow MPs that the new law addresses gender inequality and empowerment in the country. “Today I am proud of Sierra Leone, that women are now given the space,” he said,

Peter Dauda says:

AUGUST 8, 2022 AT 9:37 AM

The buying and selling of land to anyone and anywhere in Sierra Leone will still depend on the availability of land for sale.

From its inception, the country’s colonial masters and the immediate post-independent leaders promulgated so many odd laws that disadvantaged some communities. For example, Lebanese people were not allowed to settle in Tongo Field in the Kenema district. Tongo Field after Kono district has the most Diamonds in Sierra Leone. As a result, Tongo Field remains a big village even though it is far more populated than several district headquarters in the country. Business people exploited and are still exploiting the diamonds in Tongo Field and they take the proceeds to develop other communities within and outside Sierra Leone. Until today, you cannot find a decent house or infrastructure in Togo Field because of that odd and discriminating Law. Lebanese men would rather stay in Kenema or Koidu while exploiting the Diamonds in Tongo.

Concerning the Law to own land anywhere in Sierra Leone as long as you are a Sierra Leonean, I hope the proposed Bill clarifies how to acquire land. If this is left mute, it has the potential to breed more problems in the future. There is no empty land in the country. People own all the lands in the hinterlands. Unfortunately, there has never been an effort for people in the provinces to demarcate and register their lands. Unlike the western area, where most of the lands were appropriated by the colonial masters and therefore became state land after independence, there is no such provision in the provinces. So it is imperative that the Bill addresses the process of land acquisition to avoid in the future the situation that is currently taking place in Malen Chiefdom against the Sofcin Oil Palm Plantation. In the instance of the Sofcin Plantation, President Koroma’s then Minister of Lands in the APC government and the greedy Paramount chief of Malen hoodwinked and bullied the people into giving up their lands without any compensation. Several people had died in the ugly situation that ensued since then. The current government had been complacent in the wrong done to the indigenes of Malen, possibly through kickbacks received from the investors to keep the status quo. Until today, the skirmishes continue in Malen between the plantation owners, government, and the Paramount chief on the one hand and the poor land owners on the other.

One other thing I will suggest is that the Bill should include in it the process and right to mine Timber in any land around the country. Today, in many African countries, you can only mine Timber on your Timber farm, and Timber farming is a business. We should avoid the situation where those with political powers misuse their powers to allow criminal investors to come in and start cutting the few remaining forests indiscriminately, all to make money. The trees in these forests have taken decades and centuries to grow. Anyone involved in the Timber business should have a timber farm. In short, we should avoid the Timber gate-like situation that our former Vice President Chief Samuel Samsumana was involved in when he was vice president.