Secure tenure for the urban poor: Lessons from community based land tenure approach in Windhoek, Namibia

Abstract

The Namibian Freehold System is well designed, appropriate and effective in providing security of tenure to higher-income households, although it is very legalistic and complex by nature. A community-driven process might offer an alternative to the present Land Delivery Systems that are criticised for being too expensive and thereby excluding the urban poor from land and housing ownership. Two alternative solutions arose in direct response to the inadequacy of the formal system of land delivery to provide for the specific needs of the urban poor in Windhoek, Namibia. At grassroots level an own solution was sought. A community-driven process enables Self-Help Groups to own blocks of land with the most basic services whilst, at a legislative level, the Flexible Land Tenure Bill creates a parallel interchangeable property registration system.