Late 2011, a ‘gargantuan’
crime hit the Asantehene’s Lands Secretariat. It was reported that the office
was bridled with bribery and corruption. The case caused the then Liaison
Officer’s job. Several officers also lost their job, as a result. For more than
a month, the Asantehene’s Lands Office remained closed.
In or around November
2011, when the office was opened to the public a new administration had be
instituted, reforms had taken place and land acquisition and registration
processes was to be simplified.
Before January
2012, a land owner wishing to register his land was only required to present
allocation note and site plans to the Asantehene’s Lands Secretariat for
processing. The Secretariat then enquired from the Lands Commission whether the
plot was free and could be registered in the current allottee’s name. This
attracted a small fee. When a favourable response was received, the land owner
had to pay drink money, and would Asantehene endorsed the allocation note and
it was then released to the Lands Commission to prepare the lease document for
execution by the proposed lessee, the caretaker chief, Asantehene. The lease
document had to be sent from the Lands Commission to the Asantehene’s Lands
Secretariat for the execution to take place. Then the document would be
returned to the Lands Commission for the transactions to be recorded
finally. Experts said the process
involved over hundred steps in addition to the cost.
This process
existed up to December 2011. Starting January 2012, to register land in Kumasi
one must first obtain a search report on the land from the Lands Commission.
The search report is to show that the land can be registered and that it has
not been registered in anybody’s name. You must add the search report to your allocation
note, Cadastre plan and five passport size photograph and present them to the Asantehene’s
Lands Secretariat at the Manhyia Palace. The Secretariat would check the
validity of your submitted documents. Drink money (1/3 of land valued would be assessed.
This and other fees and charges must be paid. The Lease or indenture would be
prepared for execution. After execution, the document is sent to the Lands
Commission for final registration.
The process of
stool land acquisition and registration may be reduced into seven simple steps.
1.
Negotiate and pay for land,
2.
Secure allocation note and cadastre (site) plans,
3.
Conduct a search at the Lands Commission over the Land,
4.
Submit the allocation note, cadastre (site) plans and five (5) passport
pictures to the Asantehene’s Lands Office,
5.
Pay Drink Money & other fees & charges
6.
Lease document is prepared and executed
7.
Executed document is released to Lands Commission for plotting and registration
registration.
In my opinion, this was by far the simplest process ever drawn up for land acquisition and registration in Kumasi. However,
there still remains some unloosed knots. I, therefore, attempt a critique of the new process in place. To do the best your views, questions and contributions will count. What are the areas you
wish that I discuss?
