Tanzania rolls out digital land titles in eight regions to curb disputes

Tanzania's Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development has begun issuing land titles and residential licences in digital form, with eight regions integrated as a pilot during the 2026/27 financial year to strengthen the electronic system for land and housing registration.

The pilot links council and regional land offices with the ministry's headquarters through systems including e-land, with the main registration offices located in Dodoma, Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Kilimanjaro, Mtwara, Mbeya, Tabora and Morogoro. Work is under way to enter information from physical files into the government system, after which the records will be integrated into TAUSI, the electronic government platform managed by the President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (TAMISEMI).

Makwasa Biswalo, a senior official at the ministry, told The Guardian that every stage from registration to the issuance of title deeds will be visible to all officials, who can raise questions when they notice unnecessary delays, with the aim of preventing fraud when land is being formalised.

The digital rollout sits alongside Tanzania's specialised dispute resolution chain, which runs from Village Land Councils and Ward Tribunals to District Land and Housing Tribunals, with appeals going to the High Court's Land Division. The government has framed the combination of digital records and tribunals as its long-term answer to conflicts between farmers, herders and investors across mainland Tanzania.

Land disputes in the country are driven by population growth, competing agricultural and pastoral uses, unclear boundary demarcations, forged survey maps and weak record-keeping that allows double allocation of titles. Tanzania covers 945,087 square kilometres, with the mainland accounting for about 885,800 square kilometres.