Invitation to contribute to the Guide on Valuation of Unregistered Lands

GLTN invites you to contribute your expertise to the Guide on Valuation of Unregistered Lands. The guidebook was originally meant to be a manual for valuers, but its purpose was changed during the period of its development to also serve as an accessible document for policymakers.

The several reasons for adoption of this change include sensitizing policymakers that some bureaucrats believe valuation to be just a technical exercise. While valuation does have technical requirements, professional level expertise is required to read markets and consequently determine market values. Such misunderstandings of the very nature of markets, market value and market valuations can be particularly damaging when it comes to the assessment of values to be included as compensation for compulsory acquisition, and this guide therefore emphasizes that context. However, many points raised therein apply to valuations in general.

The structure of the guide is spread across eight chapters. The introduction is about the global roles of land valuation and unregistered lands, and how this guide fits into the contexts provided by other relevant policy-related documents. The second chapter addresses the purpose and need for the guide, and the third addresses the core purpose: How to determine the market value of interests in unregistered land in cases of government expropriation. The fourth chapter drills down into the market value of informal rights while the fifth addresses likely barriers and challenges to be met. The sixth chapter recommends best practices in such contexts, and the seventh addresses the valuation of different types of unregistered land. The eighth chapter addresses what makes a valuation of unregistered land fir for purpose. Finally, the Guide makes recommendations towards capacity building for fit-for-purpose valuation programs and adopting the fit-for-purpose valuation approach.

Please share your input with Cyprian Selebalo and Danilo Antonio by midnight 7 April 2017 GMT +3 (Nairobi Time)