Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has warned government officials against illegally allocating, selling or otherwise misusing public land, as government moves to establish a comprehensive inventory of its land holdings across the country.
Nabakooba said public land remains vulnerable to grabbing and irregular transactions because of poor supervision, incomplete documentation and failure by responsible officers to safeguard government estates.
Speaking at a regional stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a comprehensive government land inventory in Mukono, Nabakooba directed district leaders, lands officers and other custodians of public land to identify government properties in their areas and ensure they are properly documented and protected.
“Even if a school or a hospital has no title, it’s your duty as a key stakeholder to first protect that property on that land before you parcel the land. Even if you think it’s dormant land, let’s first secure it,” she said.
Nabakooba cautioned lands officers against issuing freehold titles to private individuals on government land, warning that such transactions can be costly and difficult for the State to reverse.
“Once you give out a freehold title, it becomes difficult to reverse because it may require us to go to courts of law to cancel such titles,” she said.
She said the planned inventory will help government establish the location, legal and physical status, current use and threats facing its land.
“We believe that the inventory will help us establish where government land is located, its legal and physical status, its present use and any threats that require intervention from authorities,” she said.
The minister urged officials to move quickly to secure public land, particularly in rapidly developing areas where population growth, infrastructure projects and changing land uses are increasing pressure on government property.
“We need to move very fast and protect the land we have for the future of our country,” she said.
She also called for greater public awareness about government land, saying such property is held for the benefit of citizens and should not be treated as an opportunity for personal enrichment.
Ms Nabakooba said unlawful occupants should be dealt with while people with legitimate claims should be treated fairly.
“Where there are legitimate landowners, they must be treated fairly. Where there are disputes, we should pursue lawful, transparent and peaceful solutions,” she said.
Uganda Land Commission Chairperson Prof Pen-Mogi Nyeko said protecting government land is critical because the State requires land for infrastructure, industrialisation and other development projects.
He urged District Land Boards and local authorities to refrain from allocating public land to individuals and instead preserve it for strategic developments that can create jobs and improve infrastructure.
“Protect government land in your area for major government development,” he said.
Prof Nyeko said district leaders, Resident District Commissioners, District Land Board members and other stakeholders have valuable knowledge about land in their areas and should use it to help government identify public property.
He particularly urged authorities to protect land occupied by schools and other public institutions, some of which lack titles and are therefore vulnerable to encroachment and grabbing.
The inventory, he said, would also enable government to identify land that can be reserved for future industrialisation and other major investments.
Emmanuel Kaganzi, representing the Permanent Secretary at the workshop, said government needs accurate information about its land before disputes and other problems arise.
“Information must reach government before the problem does,” he said.
Mr Kaganzi said government projects can reach advanced stages, with funding secured and technical designs completed, only for officials to discover encroachment, boundary disputes, competing claims or incomplete land records.
He said the inventory should establish whether government land is surveyed, titled and properly demarcated, while also identifying encroachment and other risks.
He cautioned that the inventory will only remain useful if it is regularly updated, calling for cooperation among the Uganda Land Commission, Ministry of Lands, local governments and government agencies occupying public land.
The workshop brought together leaders and technical officers from Kayunga, Buikwe, Wakiso, Nakaseke, Luweero and Nakasongola districts.
