The government has launched a formal operation to reclaim land that is illegally occupied by members of the public, with the exercise set to cover at least 16 major cities, towns and municipalities across the country.
The operation will take place in areas including Jinja, Mbale, Soroti, Gulu, Fort Portal and other urban centres where government land has been heavily encroached on over the years.
The move was confirmed by the commissioner at the Uganda Land Commission (ULC), Tom Fischer Kasenge, who said investigations by the commission show that a large portion of government land is currently under illegal occupation by private individuals.
“As a commission, we have constituted three committees made up of officials from the Uganda Land Commission who will go directly to the local governments,” Kasenge said.
He explained that the teams will work closely with town clerks, municipal officials and other local leaders to establish which pieces of land belong to the government and how they were acquired by private individuals.
Kasenge said the process will involve verifying land titles, especially those held by people occupying government land illegally.
“In this exercise, all land titles will be carefully scrutinised. Where people are found to be occupying government land illegally, the commission will take steps to verify ownership and regularise it where possible,” he said.
He added that individuals who qualify may be granted leases to formalise their occupation, but going forward they will be required to pay ground rent so that government can benefit in terms of revenue.
Kasenge noted that the exercise will be comprehensive and resource-intensive, adding that government has allocated Shs10 billion in the current financial year to ensure the operation is carried out efficiently.
“The process is not simple. It requires field verification, engagement with communities and proper documentation. That is why government has provided funding to make sure the work is done thoroughly,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Uganda Land Commission, Andrew Nyumba, said government has lost vast chunks of land to land grabbers over several decades, particularly from the early 1970s to date.
Nyumba said one of the biggest challenges government faces is the lack of adequate and accurate information about its land holdings, which has made it easier for encroachers to take advantage.
“Government has suffered massive land loss mainly because we have had limited information about where our land is and how it is being used. This gap has allowed people to illegally occupy and even process titles on government land,” Nyumba said.
However, he expressed optimism that the situation will improve with the new initiative, which involves the use of area land committees, city land boards and a nationwide digitisation process.
