Felician Komu | Ardhi University (original) (raw)

Papers by Felician Komu

The quest for affordable housing in Africa has never been an easy task nor successful one. Some o... more The quest for affordable housing in Africa has never been an easy task nor successful one. Some of the strategies have addressed social jus ce marginally while some have not. It was intriguing therefore to reflect on these strategies with a view of determining viable mechanisms for a just and sustainable housing delivery in Africa. The paper discusses the significance of land governance and ins tu onal framework for the delivery of housing in the context of the scarce land resources on an equitable basis and abiding with the principles of social jus ce and livelihood rights. The paper posits just access to land is a difficult concept to decode in urban contexts. The key arguments pursued in the paper are based on the concept of 'just city' with special focus on land and housing. The ideal just city is where there is social jus ce which seeks equal distribu on of opportuni es, rights, and responsibility irrespec ve of physical characteris cs of the urban area, nature and job loca ons, and social behavior of the city's dwellers. The three central principles of Just City, 'Equality', 'Democracy' and 'Diversity' as espoused by several scholars in city planning, housing, employment, urban economy, and poverty are examined. Reflec ons are made on the several ini a ves to promote a just city where the right to access land and quality housing has been the prerequisite such as the 'Social Jus ce Coali on' in South Africa, 'Know Your City' and 'smart urbanism'. This paper is based on desk-top reviews, to explain how households and communi es obtain access to land for housing both in the formal and informal arrangements, the extent to which their rights and dignity are addressed, and whether they are fairly treated in the process.

This paper is an attempt to examine the extent to which availability and quality of real estate i... more This paper is an attempt to examine the extent to which availability and quality of real estate information is influencing the working of real estate markets in Africa. It delves in the discourse of blockchains as applies to real estate market and makes case for the need to steer streamlined development of housing information systems in real estate markets. It is based on a contracted research project commissioned by the Bank of Tanzania in 2017 to design an information Centre for housing in Tanzania. Through direct interviews and questionnaires, the research reached 316 respondents in nine major cities of Tanzania and total of 15 institutions in three selected countries of Kenya, South Africa and Singapore.The study revealed a host of problems. These included low levels of awareness of the processes and procedures in real estate transactions by majority of the respondents (65%), disjointed information process flows in government land administration sectors, information retrieval problems, slow and delayed decision-making process in land and housing ownership transfer documentation, over-reliance of manual filing system, unreliable housing prices and rents in the press, social media and online platforms, unregulated estate agency and limited role of local government units in recording and storing real estate information. Information on options towards housing finance was also limited and only 20% of those interviewed perceived housing as an asset that could be used to create wealth.The paper recommends need for comprehensive and integrated real estate information system that takes advantage of the growing information technologies, changing business and investment environments.

The dominant discourse in Tanzania is that home ownership is the most sustainable strategy toward... more The dominant discourse in Tanzania is that home ownership is the most sustainable strategy towards solving housing problem. As a result, housing policy orientation has been towards promotion of home ownership through a land-housing linkage strategy that manifests in improvement of access to identified categories of people usually classified on resourcesconstrained criterion. Rental housing has been observed from this study to have suffered a number of setbacks in history. Public rental housing featured prominently in the first Five-Year Development Plans (1964-69). In subsequent years and particularly with the demise of socialistic form of governance in the post 1992 era, attention has moved away from public rental housing to home-ownership strategies. Private rental housing on the other hand has never featured in the national policies until mid-2000s. This study investigates the future of public housing in Tanzania from a housing management perspective. Through interviews and direct observation in two case studies at Keko and Ubungo National Housing Corporation (NHC), it has been demonstrated that public housing in Tanzania has suffered neglect in terms of repair and maintenance for many years. The main reason as claimed was poor rent collection and low rent levels. The general finding of the study is public housing in Tanzania has been greatly influenced by employment policy changes. Public housing as construed by main actors in the study area is for public servants and largely government employees. Rental payment to the Public Housing Organization was usually through direct remittance from employees salaries by their employers. The Government in 2001 was the largest rent defaulter to NHC.

While several studies identified driving engines for industrialization as being well-functioning ... more While several studies identified driving engines for industrialization as being well-functioning urban centers, infrastructural services, finance both long-term and working capital, improved labour skills and industrial clusters, very little has been explored on the crucial links that exist between industrialization and land management not only in Tanzania but generally throughout the Africa continent.Both the Sustainable Industries Development Policy 1996-2020 and the Integrated Industrial Development Strategy of 2025 in 2011 in the National Development Vision 2025 have not addressed land management issues that are characteristically constraining industrial development in Tanzania. Rural industrialization strategy has been limited to processing agricultural produces and least on access to land for industrial manufacturing purposes.The study aimed at evaluating existing policies and laws that sustain industrialization, the way land and related resources can be accessed without hindering rights of other users, means of safeguarding land rights and adjudication when conflicts happen. The study has established the main problem for industrial development is the land compensation quagmire which is exuberated by existing multiple legal instruments on land acquisition and compensation. To resolve the emerging widespread of informality and ineffective land use planning, the study suggests not just political commitment but leveraging resources towards pro-active land use planning intervention and securing land for industrialization. It is axiomatic that African nations ought to take cognizance of the fact land acquisition, resettlement and compensation are real facts that must be addressed. It is high time that countries formulated standards on compensation matters that address resettlement issues which harmonize local contexts with those of the International Involuntary Resettlement Operational Directives and Guidelines.

Urban Rental Housing Markets in Tanzania, 2022

This research seeks to deepen the previous rental research undertaken in Tanzania in 2018, by exp... more This research seeks to deepen the previous rental
research undertaken in Tanzania in 2018, by exploring the
supply-side ecosystem of urban rental housing
markets. The research focussed on the cities of Dar es
Salaam and Dodoma. The study was carried out
between October and November 2019, applying mixed
methodologies to collect, analyse, and present data

This paper looks at Valuation as an important component of land administration that has outgrown ... more This paper looks at Valuation as an important component of land administration that has outgrown the land sector gradually becoming an independent professional discipline much to the chagrin of its hosts – the land administration. Valuation as a profession originated in the actual sale transactions in medieval Europe where buyers relied on experienced interventionists in the land/real estate market to advise on the size and buying price of real properties. Its eventual introduction to university curriculum has been diverse amongst different regions and at varying momentum. At professional level, within Africa, valuation profession is organised either within the Built Environment Disciplines such as Quantity Surveying/Building Economists and Geomatics/land surveying while in others with Land Administration/Property Management or on its own under the general theme of Real Estate. The main argument in the paper dwells on the readiness of the old established valuation schools within the...

Land grabbing is a term that most investors find distasteful while to the general public it could... more Land grabbing is a term that most investors find distasteful while to the general public it could be an eye opener to the future of the land that they might be occupying. To the urban planner, it may connote inefficiency and lamed administrative machinery that has permitted greed over land. Whatever land grabbing submits itself to be, its main concern is built on the premise of holding land for the future which may be translated to speculating on land either for economic or social-status gain. Land grabbing in urban areas may be explained from the observed multitude of undeveloped land parcels in urban Tanzania amidst a cry for shortage of land for development. This paradoxical urban reality has been considered differently by scholars, those advocating horizontal expansion of cities tolerate it and subscribe to more urbanization of the peri-urban areas; while there are those that consider viable urban expansion as that which takes cognizance of intensification of all available lands...

Sustainable Multi-Sectoral Real Estate Development in Emerging Economies - the 16th African Real Estate Society Conference, 2016

Purpose: Over the last decade, there has been a general outcry on the loss of livelihood by commu... more Purpose: Over the last decade, there has been a general outcry on the loss of livelihood by communities through land acquisition schemes to accommodate large scale farming in Africa. Interventions by the African Union through Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in July 2009 – the LSLBI and the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of the Tenure of Land, Forests and Fisheries (VGGT) have addressed this to a very great extent. Notwithstanding these interventions, local communities continue to be insufficiently compensated, under-consulted, and left with their livelihoods threatened. The basic question as to who is to improve land governance in LSLBI remains unanswered and, it is intriguing to establish whether the VGGT are sufficiently understood and operational.Methodology: through documentary and government policy reviews, the study evaluated three projects in the Coast and Kigoma regions of Tanzania.Findings: It is clear where local communities were directly consulted; there was consensus on how to address the livelihood issue and the project objectives were more likely to be achieved. Local communities were more readily to adapt to a new arrangement if offered some ownership rights in the subsequent investors’ project than monetary compensation.Research limitations the studied projects had been stalled on account of hostile communities and political interventions in the past. They nevertheless present a good case for understanding the underlying factors that may hinder large scale agricultural investment in countries such as Tanzania.Practi al implication Monetary compensation for land to be acquired has been a source of disputes for too long. An alternative scheme such as equity participation in a new venture assures continued rights and food security.Value of Work: A framework for improving FAO Guidelines and customizing them for the African local conditions is given. Besides, the land assessment and compensation problem has been addressed.

Objections to assessed compensation for expropriated land in Tanzania have been on increase irres... more Objections to assessed compensation for expropriated land in Tanzania have been on increase irrespective of the changed ideologies of the country. The basis of valuation assessment as provided in the laws governing land acquisition is ‘market value’ while the local valuation practice has had limited use of the basis in compensation and resettlement assignments. With a large number of investment projects being funded by donors, a new dictate on the basis of valuation for compensation and resulting relocation has been introduced often disguising the respective national laws as being not protective enough for the loss of livelihood of the affected persons. Safeguards requirements mainly Resettlement Policy Framework (RFP) and Environmental and Social Management Frameworks (ESMF) by global financial organizations such as the World Bank, the Africa Development Bank and a number of bilateral aid/grant organizations have further complicated a rather delicate valuation practice opening up w...

Real Estate Markets Development: Meeting the Challenge, Making the Difference - the 15th African Real Estate Society Conference

Proceedings of the 12th African Real Estate Society Conference

Proceedings of the 11th African Real Estate Society Conference

Valuation services have become increasingly less credible in Tanzania despite an impressive digit... more Valuation services have become increasingly less credible in Tanzania despite an impressive digital data penetration from an inisignificant 115,000 people at the end of 2000 to over 11.5m by June 2017. Practicing valuers have been accused of valuing that which never existed, overvaluing and undervaluing to suit different situations. The key research problem for the study revolved around the lack of measure on reliability and precision of value estimates as was once observed by Dell (2013). While findings from the interviews revealed little appreciation of the intertwin relationships that exist between real estate and finance markets amongst practising valuers, it was evident, external influences mainly through government guidelines and certification processes had strong impact on the valuation estimates. The local practice is apprehensive of strict adherence to government circulars on valuation assessment and reporting standards,which to a large extent might account for the limited valuers' inquisitiveness on the dynamics of value affecting factors. It was also established that practicing valuers have limited understanding of the general investment market which as Scarrett (2008) observes is crucial in trying to interpret the working of property investment markets. The paper observes a dichotomy between values derived from local market operations and those estimated by valuers. The paper attributes this to reliance on government published guidelines and limited continued professional training amongst valuers. The paper concludes that valuation accuracy and certainty in developing countries are influencecd by the limited roles that professional valuation boards exercise in keeping their members in pace with development in the profession.

Property Valuation Systems and Methods , 2017

Tanzania has been pioneer in the training of real estate disciplines within Eastern Africa, an ac... more Tanzania has been pioneer in the training of real estate disciplines within Eastern Africa, an active
member striving for harmonized real estate practices and valuation standards; and adopted the
International Valuation Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards during
2000-2004. Notwithstanding these encounters and practices, the local valuation practice appears to
beset with insurmountable problems.
From the interviews and review of Valuation Bill discussions, a general trend amongst interest
groups to usurp what might offer them spheres of influence in a field that is not necessarily cognate
to their occupational needs was established. It was also observed that amidst high urbanization rate
and infiltration of foreign investors, the banking and real estate sectors in Tanzania were pursuing
separate development paths with very little sharing of experiences. As a result, local professionals
practicing in an environment without a legal framework were more likely to be marginalized by the dynamics of change and interest groups who masquerade as the knowledge-skills-bearers in a
promising sector as the real estate has been in Tanzania.
The paper evaluates adequacy of traditional approaches in evolving real estate markets and the practical problems facing valuers in Tanzania. It urges valuers to adapt themselves to the changing business dynamics and appreciate the other participants’ roles in the emerging real estate market.

Urban Rental Housing Markets in Tanzania, 2022

Sustainable Multi-Sectoral Real Estate Development in Emerging Economies - the 16th African Real Estate Society Conference, 2016

Real Estate Markets Development: Meeting the Challenge, Making the Difference - the 15th African Real Estate Society Conference

Proceedings of the 12th African Real Estate Society Conference

Proceedings of the 11th African Real Estate Society Conference

Property Valuation Systems and Methods , 2017

Land and Poverty, 2020

Land tenure regularization (LTR) schemes are expensive undertaking for developing countries. LTRs... more Land tenure regularization (LTR) schemes are expensive undertaking for developing countries. LTRs offer viable option and quick solutions towards improving informal settlement and can be self-financing. Benefits to communities include recognition and adjudication of hitherto un-documented individual land rights, titling through cost effective tools, instituting flexible and appropriate cadaster system to meet the needs of the poor, protecting land rights for women, dispute resolution and permit access to credit by households. LTRs have been instrumental in providing for infrastructure improvement and eventual enhancement of land values. Betterment levy resulting from regularization projects is not easily understood and can be a source of discontent with landowners. This paper seeks to highlight areas that need policy action to institute land value capture assessment that seeks to isolate values attributes associated with the regularization schemes. It also offers suggestion on efficient and friendly cost recovery measures when implementing regularization projects.

With the signing of the Eastern Africa Cooperation Protocols in 2013, there has been steady growt... more With the signing of the Eastern Africa Cooperation Protocols in 2013, there has been steady growth of interest amongst professionals to carry out cross-border consultancy services. Inspired by a growing need for harmonization of real estate as a practice and an academic discipline around the globe, the Eastern Africa Chapter of the Africa Real Estate Conference has over the last 2 years (2014-15) successfully run Real Estate Conferences and one of the theme has been the 'harmonization of Real Estate Standards'. It is probably expecting too much in too little time to realize harmonization of standards within a region whose countries have had their allegiance to varying historical connections. Yet, inter-trade amongst the member states is certain and it can only be through set rules, regulations and perhaps laws.

P r e s e n t e d a t t h e F I G W o r k i n g W e e k 2 0 1 6 , M a y 2-6 , 2 0 1 6 i n C h r i... more P r e s e n t e d a t t h e F I G W o r k i n g W e e k 2 0 1 6 , M a y 2-6 , 2 0 1 6 i n C h r i s t c h u r c h , N e w Z e a l a n d