The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has dispatched over 57000 freehold land titles to five Ministry Zonal Offices (MZOs). The handover ceremony was officiated by Judith Nabakooba, the Minister for Lands at a function held at the Surveys and Mapping Department in Entebbe.
The titles that have been dispatched include 9,726 land titles for Bukedea, 6,606 for Serere and 4,176 for Soroti under Soroti MZO; Kamuli receiving 4,296 and Luuka 488 land titles in Jinja MZO; Mbarara MZO with Isingiro getting 1,906 titles and Ntungamo 8,231 land titles; Masindi MZO with 1,418 for Kikuube and finally Arua MZO with Maracha getting 2,478 land titles to make a total of 57,325 land titles.
While dispatching these titles, Nabakooba lauded the president of the Republic of Ugand, for his wide guidance, strategic leadership and efforts he has put in ensuring land tenure security for all Ugandans and for having allowed the SLAAC project to happen in the ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development as pledged by the government.
“The ministry has processed freehold land titles for citizens under MZOs that have been implementing the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification (SLAAC) project. So far, the ministry, with the support from the World Bank, has issued the nationwide titles to citizens as part of resolving the uncertainty of land rights country wide, where unregistered land and interests are ascertained systematically, parcel by person, everyone, regardless of their social economic status, education, literacy levels, including the vulnerable and marginalized are included in securing their rights under this highly subsidized government intervention.”
The Lands Minister also remarked that the Ministry is working on 300,000 titles, so this is just a quarter of what is expected under the SLAAC project.
“The cost paid by the owners for a title is shs. 85,000/- only, and the remaining cost incurred and paid for by the Government. We all know very well that it is very costly for one to process a title for an ordinary person, because processing a title requires a surveyor, requires a physical planner. It’s a chain that has to be followed, but with also some cost implication. So this project helps the ordinary citizens in realizing their land rights.If these land owners had been left without government support, it would be very costly for them to register which most citizens couldn’t even afford,” she said.
Nabakooba further explained that the government is commitment to assist land owners in acquiring land titles to the land they hold will continue, because once land is registered, it will help curb land district disputes and evictions, but it will also attract investment, because foreign investors always want land tenure security, but also the people who have land and they cannot use it optimally with an investor, they can make their land more productive and effective.
“We are also doing this to protect citizens from consequences of lack of legal documentation. Citizens need to appreciate this government effort to ensure that all land owners acquire a document from the government showing the ownership of their land and stay informed about how best to protect and use their land optimally without any threats,” she remarked.
The Lands Minister further explained that the government also launched a public portal under the Uganda National Land Information System, which is a reliable and accessible platform that allows in videos to check on the status of their land, confirm ownership, track transactions and access other crucial land related information without the need to travel to zonal office.
“I strongly encourage residents, local leaders and stakeholders to check and protect their land interests, ensure transparency, promote accountability in land management throughout the country,” she said.
Concerning the distribution of the titles, she highlighted that respective political heads in the mentioned districts, in liaison with the RDCs, will organise public events in the respective areas where SLAAC has been conducted to hand over these titles to the beneficiaries.
The Ministry’s Under Secretary, Richard Juuko encouraged the officers to sensitise recipients on how to use these titles to improve their economic status through investment, borrowing and development.
He also appreciated development partners, including the World Bank and other stakeholders and interested parties, for their support in helping the government fulfill its pledges to the people to secure their land rights by acquiring land titles.
Johnson Bigira, the Commissioner for Land Registration revealed that only 23 percent of Uganda’s total landmass has been formally registered.
He also noted that the SLAAC programme will increase this coverage, saying, “When we do this mass titling, I have confidence that the figures are going to be high and maybe, in not so long, we may have the entire landmass of Uganda titled.”
The SLAAC project is an initiative by the Ugandan government to streamline land ownership and registration processes. It’s part of broader land tenure reforms aimed at increasing land access, affordability, and security for citizens.
The project involves mapping, surveying, and processing land titles, particularly in selected areas of Uganda, and establishing a Data Processing Centre.
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