Assessment of Transparency Practices in Urban Land Administration: The Case of Wolkite Town Manucipality, Ethiopia

Abstract

Good governance in land administration is becoming an important issue in both developed and developing countries. This study has been undertaken to assess transparency practices in urban land administration in wolkite town municipality, Ethiopia. The study employed a cross sectional survey research design. Data were collected both from primary and secondary sources using surveys, key informants interviews, focused group discussions and document analysis. Questionnaire survey data were collected from 380 sampled household respondents; and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The study found that there was limited access to land information to most urban residents; and clarity of land services were failed to be transparent to its customers. The study also revealed that the decision making process was not open and participatory. The major challenges of land administration in the study area were corruption, bureaucracy, political interference, poor management and incompetence. The study concludes that the land administration services were not transparent based on the views and experiences of survey respondents. It is recommended that enlighten urban residents on urban land laws, rules and regulations, ensuring accessibility of information, capacitating service providers and increase application of information communication technologies are essential to ensure transparent land governance and administration in the study area. Keywords: Clarity; Accessibility; Transparency; Land Administration; Wolikte Town DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-17-02 Publication date: September 30 th 2022