Implications of Customary Land Conversions on the Power of Traditional Leaders in Mungule Chiefdom of Chibombo District in Zambia

Abstract

The study examines the implications of customary land tenure conversions for the power of traditional leaders, who have had the power to allocate land and upholding customary law among occupants of such land. It is argued that conversion of customary land to leasehold tenure system negatively affects the power of traditional leaders. Using the conceptual framework premised on Gluckman’s theory of power, one variable factor ‘size of land’ was used to formulate an interview guide. In-depth interviews were conducted with key informants. For validity and reliability, various stakeholders with different specialisation on this topic were incorporated to deepen/widen the scope of producing this knowledge. The results revealed that customary land that was being converted to leasehold tenure system was reducing the size of the customary land for the Chiefdom. Additionally, the change from customary land tenure system denies traditional leaders the rights to allocate land to local people. Second, local people are forced to change their livelihood from agricultural based to informal jobs. Finally, it stops local people living in clans for their unity and easy formulation of customary law in a collective voice.