1.1 Vision

Since its inception, CORDS developed and sharpened its vision of a desired futuree. CORDS envisages a pastoral society that has a strong voice and a wide range of choices over its own development and destiny. CORDS believes in a society in which people are governing, self-defining, self-representing, self-developing, and self-determining; a society in which all persons have legal recognition of ownership of their own natural resources, a society in which its members have the right to development and live long, healthy, productive and dignified lives and sustaining livelihoodss of their own choice; that their social, economic, political and spiritual rights be enshrined in the constitution and other governing legal instruments.

1.2 Mission

The mission of CORDS or the fundamental purpose of CORDS is to enhance sustainable pastoral livelihoods. CORDS Mission is:- To work for holistic social development and to fight against all forms of injustices, oppression, gender imbalances, poverty, hunger, ignorance and disease.

LAND RIGHTS PROGRAMME


Programme Background

 

The need for Pastoral Land Rights Programme was identified as a felt need through a research that was carried out in 1997 by PARDEP and other stakeholders in Arusha region. The study identified a number of development challenges facing the Pastoralist communities in the region.Land tenure insecurity surfaced as a major challenge since highly potential areas which predominantly where grazing pattern have been allocated for other uses through various reforms influenced by conservationist and enacted by the Government. Thousands of acres within Pastoralist areas were set aside for large scale farming, Military camps, extended National parks, hunting blocks, game controlled areas and camp sites. Due to this reason communities cried to CORDS to halt further encroachment of their land. In response to community needs CORDS has initiated this Programme purposely to address those challenges raised.

 

Target Population and Geographical Coverage:

The programme is implemented in 109 villages in the 4 districts (42 Monduli, 31 Longido, 24 Arumeru and 21 in Kiteto Districts).

 

Overall objective:

The primary goal of the programme is to enhance security of resource tenure for the Maasai pastoral communities. The strategy has been to achieve this through securing certificate of village land as a prerequisite for legal ownership of land under the Village Land Act No. 5 of 1999 and to empower communities by raising awareness on pastoral land rights.

 

Programme activities:

•  Community mobilization and awareness creation.

•  Facilitating boundary agreement meetings.

•  Surveying villages in order to settle their boundary disputes.

•  Organizing and conducting workshops for village leaders and District Officials on The National Land Policy 1995 and other pertinent Legislation relating to Land such as the Village Land Act No. 5 of 1999.

•  Drawing of maps for surveyed villages and computing areas.

•  Facilitating approval of village maps by the Regional Surveyor and Director of Survey and Mapping.

•  Signing of boundary description certificate by village leaders

•  Preparation of village seals.

•  Facilitating signing certificate of village land by respective village leaders

•  Sending certificates of village land to the Commissioner of Lands for approval and registration.

•  Registration of village land certificates at District Land registries.

• Handing over certificates of village lands to respective village leaders.

Main achievements

• Communities were mobilized within the 99 villages.

• 99 village land committees were formed and are active.

• Boundaries agreements were signed by the 99 villages plus their neighbouring villages

• 99 villages secured land certificates(36 Monduli, 31 Longido, 20 Arumeru and 12 in Kiteto Distircts)

• As the success of the village land certificate land use planning has started in the 31 villages in the tree districts (Longido, Kiteto and Monduli).

• Empowerment of pastoralists communities on land legislation and other related laws. This has led to some community to restore back their grabbed land.