Abstract

This study is an assessment of Urban Public Land Management from Governance Dimension: The case of Gelan and Lega Tafo Lega Dadi Towns.  To achieve these objectives qualitative and quantitative research approach was employed to identify the gaps under urban public land management from governance dimension. Questionnaires, interview, focus group discussion, and secondary data were employed to collect data and these data were analyzed using descriptively. The findings of the study revealed that urban public land management is hindered by an absence of clear policies, direction strong institutions, transparency, and public participation and urban public land do not identified according to the land use planning. The criteria for urban public land ownership was not clearly defined and assigned to the right level of government. Hence, urban public land management still suffers from a lack of proper recording, scarcity, and inaccessibility of data. There is no urban land management law for peri-urban areas yet and the role of the urban land management and investment office at the town level is overlapped.  Furthermore the scope and limitation of public purpose are unknown since the power of expropriation given to the state is a broader one and this creates tenure insecurity on all urban landholders. Finally compensation was not provided for the acquisition of all rights regardless of their recording status and there is no legal framework on how to compensate communal land and there is no compensation paid for urban land-use changes that affected small enterprises and service providing firms.

Key words: Urban land management, good governance, and urban public land management.