Kinshasa, August 24th, 2025 (CPA).- The digitisation of land titles has been recommended to combat land disputes in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a meeting on Saturday, following a pre-trial case in N’sele, a municipality in the east of Kinshasa, the country’s capital.
« Land disputes are a recurrent in the city of Kinshasa. We believe that strengthening the rule of law, which involves rigorously applying the penalties provided for by law against those involved in illegal occupations and their accomplices, the digitisation of land registers and the establishment of a centralised digital system for the registration and verification of land titles in order to prevent fraud, are all measures that the government should put in place to combat these evils, » has declared Charline Asifiwe, legal defender at the Kinshasa/Matete High Court.
She has also called on the population to seek the assistance of legal experts during land transactions in order to reduce the risk of being deceived by mafia networks which, according to her, have been created to make money illegally. “In addition, the denunciation is one of the best ways to discourage a mafia system. Even when it comes to a relative or someone we know who abuses his social position, he must be denounced to answer for his acts. Because, in the end, we are all equal before the law, » she has insisted, pointing out that many purchasers of land titles are victims of fraudulent practices often orchestrated by landowners in collusion with local authorities.
Lawyer Asifiwe has also pointed out that it is important for all stakeholders to act as good citizen, fighting against the anti-values in order to facilitate a good business climate and contribute to the country’s development. ‘If land disputes are resolved, the municipality of N’sele and the whole of Kinshasa will experience considerable development in terms of infrastructure construction and economic growth,’ has said Lawyer Asifiwe.
A reminder of the facts
As a reminder, a new purchaser of a plot of land had carried out checks last week at a neighbourhood office in Kinkole, in the municipality of N’sele, before proceeding with the purchase. The sale has been completed after the neighbourhood has given its approval. A few days later, another party had appeared as the owner with documents signed by the same neighbourhood office to build on the sold plot. This situation has created conflicts between all parties, leading to legal proceedings.
The land law stipulates that any act of use or enjoyment of any land that is not covered by the law constitutes a punishable offence, has reminded Lawyer Asifiwe. She has indicated that according to UN- Housing studies on the households in DRC, the land conflicts are mainly due to the superposition of land titles and the weakness of the land administration as well as the proliferation of non-authenticated documents. CPA/