Cabinet passes national land policy to ease process of land acquisition.

By Benjamin Takpiny

The council of Ministers passed on Friday the national land policy that was presented by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Public Urban Development Michael Chiangjiek.

Michael Makuei Lueth, the National Minister of Information, Communication, Technology and Postal Services said the land policy will ease the process of land acquisition.

“There are a lot of controversies over land and as such the minister of land and housing after consultation with so many other institutions of concern, decided to present this policy in order to give us the principles the structures and the process for ownership of land, the control of land, the administration of land, the use of land and sustainable management of the land,” Makuei told journalists after the weekly cabinet meeting in Juba.

He said the national land policy will complement provisions of the constitution and the existing Land Act.

“The constitution of the government of South Sudan says land is owned by the people of South Sudan, The people of South Sudan not communities of South Sudan,” Makuei said.

 He added the government is mandated to regulate usage of land.

“This is very clear and there is no way whereby people can decide to misinterpret the provisions of the constitution,” Makuei said.

He said cabinet directed the minister of land and housing to present the national land policy to the national legislative assembly for consideration.