The Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill No. 13 of 2025
- Name of the Bill as appearing on the Order Paper:
The Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- The Stage of the Bill:
First Reading
- Summary of What the Bill Proposes to Do
The Bill seeks to amend the Lands and Deeds Registry Act so as to grant the Chief Registrar the power to cancel a Certificate of Title, and provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.
The Bill proposes to empower the Chief Registrar to cancel a certificate of title upon a written application by an interested party, provided that the certificate in question was issued in contravention of the Act or any other written law, issued in error, or obtained through fraud, misrepresentation, or the concealment of a material fact.
Upon receipt of such an application, the Chief Registrar will be required, within ninety days, to notify the holder of the certificate of title and invite a response. The holder must, within thirty days of receiving the notice, show cause why the certificate should not be cancelled. If the holder fails to respond within that period, the Chief Registrar may proceed to cancel the certificate of title.
Where a response is received within the stipulated time, the Chief Registrar will have sixty days to consider the response and either approve or reject the application for cancellation. If the application is rejected, the Chief Registrar will be required to notify all interested persons in writing, within thirty days, stating the reasons for the rejection.
However, where the holder fails to show sufficient cause to the satisfaction of the Chief Registrar, the application will be approved and the certificate of title cancelled. The Chief Registrar must then notify all interested persons in writing, within seven days, stating the reasons for the cancellation.
A person aggrieved by the decision of the Chief Registrar to approve or reject the application may appeal to the Minister within fourteen days of receiving the decision. The Minister will be required to hear and determine the appeal within thirty days and notify all interested persons of the outcome, in writing.
Any person dissatisfied with the Minister’s decision may, within thirty days of receiving it, appeal to the Court or the Lands Tribunal.
- When the Bill has been Gazetted as an Act of Parliament:
[To be updated when the Act is gazetted]
- Contacts for submission of Comments: Email the National Assembly or Visit the National Assembly Submission Portal