The Zanzibar government plans to link the Zanzibar Identity Card (Zan ID) with land ownership records through a digital system aimed at improving record accuracy, preventing fraud and reducing land disputes.
The initiative will be implemented through the Land Registration and Information System (LARIS), a project being carried out by French company IGN FI in collaboration with local government experts.
LARIS project coordinator Ibrahim Khalid Mambo announced the plan on Thursday, October 29, 2026, during a training session for journalists on the project.
He said linking Zan ID details to the system would help verify land ownership and plot information while preventing the unlawful use of land records.
‘The identity card details will be entered into the LARIS system and linked to the relevant records. This does not mean that people without a Zan ID will be unable to own land. Our aim is to ensure that every landowner has accurate records to prevent disputes,’ he said.
The system will bring together land ownership, surveying, urban planning, registration and land-use information currently held by different public institutions. This is expected to simplify access to land services and improve the management of land records.
Mr Mambo said Zanzibar continued to face unplanned urban growth, uncontrolled construction and improper land use, putting pressure on access to social services.
The two-year project will run from June 2026 to May 2028. Its nine key components include establishing a land information centre and service centres across Zanzibar’s regions, improving surveying reference points, preparing geographical and land data, and developing a master land-use plan for Unguja.
Other components include digitising land documents, establishing an integrated land information system, strengthening staff capacity, improving land registration and maintaining and upgrading the systems.
LARIS communications and capacity-building officer Jacqueline Laisser said the system would help reduce disputes and strengthen peace and security in communities.
She said land identified as being under dispute would not be subject to further action until the matter had been resolved, preventing additional complications.
Ms Laisser added that the system would support better land policies, urban management and local governance at shehia level.
The initiative follows the recent launch of Zanzibar’s Urban and Housing Policy, which seeks to guide urban growth, promote proper land use and support the development of safe, affordable and quality housing.
Land expert Raya Akida Haji said the policy and LARIS project would help address unplanned urban development, control improper land use and construction, and establish sustainable policy measures in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.