In Zambia’s rapidly urbanizing communities like Mubula, located about 10 kilometers away from Choma Central Business District, land ownership has recently become the source of tensions, fraud and exploitation. In the last few years, land governance—in particular ownership and registration processes— was at the centre of these tensions. Swindlers have been taking advantage of the lack of information and weak law enforcement to enrich themselves at the expense of community members. Through the Land and Corruption in Africa (LCAII) project, funded by the German government through Transparency International Secretariat (TI–S), Transparency International Zambia (TI-Z) has supported Mubula residents in tackling these issues head-on and claiming their rights.
As an unplanned settlement, Mubula Ward has been facing persistent issues of land encroachment, swindling, corruption and the lack of accessible government services. Following the disbanding of the Resident Development Committee (RDC) between 2012 and 2016, there has been no immediate point of contact or guidance for residents. This has allowed for the proliferation of land fraud cases. Vulnerable populations, such as women and the elderly, were disproportionally affected and were often exploited by swindlers.
The local authority struggled to sensitize communities on land rights, occupancy licenses and the process of obtaining ownership documents. Kanyinji Dada, the Senior Community Development Officer at Choma Municipal Council said, “mobilizing people for community meetings was difficult. Residents lacked information and many complained about high transport costs to access services at the civic center. Land disputes and cases of people being swindled were also rampant.”
Figure 2: Richmos Musune
Women like Elindah Chizambe, another community member, were excluded from land transactions. “Before, we did not know that as women, we had the right to own land. Plots would be sold secretly without announcing, and we were left in the dark,” she explained.
Figure 3: Elindah Chizambe
Women like Elindah Chizambe, another community member, were excluded from land transactions. “Before, we did not know that as women, we had the right to own land. Plots would be sold secretly without announcing, and we were left in the dark,” she explained.
In 2022, TI-Z, through its LCA II project, conducted a sentinel study to understand community challenges. The findings revealed that because the community was largely unplanned, issues such as land encroachments, frequent disputes and ownership wrangles were common. To address these challenges, the project implemented a series of targeted interventions such as sensitization campaigns on land rights and acquisition processes, mobile legal clinics offering direct support to community members and distribution of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on land rights. “We broke down land acquisition processes so people could get documents legally without resorting to corrupt practices,” said Joe Mapiki, Chairperson of the Choma Transparency Action Group (TAG).
Figure 4: Posters on land acquisition processes were hung around the community
TI-Z also facilitated interface meetings in 2023 and 2024 between the community and duty bearers such as the local authority. During these dialogues, community members raised pressing land-related issues and proposed solutions. One key request was the establishment of a satellite office within Mubula Ward to help reduce travel costs and long waiting times when accessing land services. As a result, in 2024 the council responded and opened a satellite office within Mubula Ward, bringing services closer to the people.
“TI-Z empowered us with knowledge. After we raised the issue with the local authority, they acted quickly and opened the satellite office right here in Mubula ward. This was a big win for the community,” Richmos Musune said.
Figure 5: Community Land Rights champion Richmos Musune in a community meeting
The opening of the satellite office was transformative. Community members now access land services close to home which saves them time and reduces costs. Additionally, their knowledge about land rights has improved, and issues of land disputes, encroachments and fraud cases have dropped significantly as people are better informed and have an accessible point for reporting issues.
According to Mr. Dada, by end of June 2025 over 600 occupancy licenses had been issued in Mubula Ward. This was a clear sign that community knowledge and uptake had grown tremendously.
Thanks to these positive results, the satellite office has significantly improved trust between the council and communities. “This office has changed everything. People from rural areas coming to settle here no longer fall victim to swindlers as before. Everyone, including women and youth, now know they have the right to own land. The level of accountability has improved, duty bearers can no longer easily displace people,” Richmos noted.
Figure 6: the Mubula Ward satellite office
The initiative also bore concrete fruit for the local authority, which benefitted from reduced crowding at the civic center and an increased sense of accountability. Further, the council, with help from WDCs, numbered houses and developed a database of residents, allowing them to send bills to residents through SMS for ground rates, significantly improving revenue collection. “At one point, we managed to pay council salaries using only money from ground rates because people were now paying for their occupancy licenses and rates. This was possible because we had accurate data and closer interaction with communities,” Kanyinji explained.
Following the success in Mubula, the council has opened a new satellite office in Mbabala and is also planning to open another in Batoka and other catchment areas. “We have learned that decentralization works. It has made our work easier because we get full information from the ground and can respond quickly. Our plan now is to strengthen the role of WDCs at these offices and increase the number of officers to ensure sustainability,” Kanyinji said.
Figure 7: Kanyinji Dada, the Senior Community Development Officer at Choma Municipal Council, played an important role in opening the satellite office
The events in Choma send a powerful message: where information is lacking and law enforcement is weak, malicious actors find space to exploit the most vulnerable. Yet, as this story shows, these challenges can be overcome through sustained sensitization and advocacy. The outcome is clear— a compelling win-win for both the community and the authorities.
Thanks to this collective action, the local authority responded by opening a satellite office right within the ward. Today, community members can easily access land-related services close to their homes, improving efficiency and reducing costs.
Figure 9: Joe Mpaiki, Chairperson of the Choma TAG
“Now people can resolve land issues faster and without unnecessary expenses. It has made a big difference for the community,” Joe explained.
Elindah now speaks with confidence about her rights, ” Knowledge is power, and thanks to TI-Z, that power is now in our hands. The knowledge I have today means no one can intimidate me on land issues, and no one can bribe me. I can even help my neighbor to report and speak up if they face problems. We women now know we can acquire land just like men. Before, we thought only men or those with money could own land, but that has changed.”
Figure 8: Elindah and Richmos talking to community members outside the Mubula Ward satellite office