The Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has revealed that close to 4,000 land titles have so far been processed for the Church of Uganda across the country.
Through her ministry, she launched a mass land registration exercise for all untitled land belonging to the Church of Uganda last year in June. This exercise was aimed at safeguarding church land, following several reports on land grabbing and encroachment .
The launch of the mass titling exercise took place on June 21, 2024, at Namirembe Provincial Secretariat in Kampala, with representatives from all the 39 dioceses of the Church of Uganda in attendance. Delegates were also trained by officials from the ministry of lands about land management and protection.
“I realised that most of the Church land with issues was donated by devotees verbally. After their death, family members turned against the church claiming no donation was done,” Ms Nabakooba said while addressing the faithful at the commemoration of St Peter’s Day at Kasalaga C.O.U in Mityana District on Sunday.
“Those who protest these verbal donations to the Church are not those that offered the land, it’s their relatives. When I met the house of bishops last year, I advised them to have trustees renewed on their land and we process titles,” she added.
She commended the Church of Uganda led by the Archbishop Rev Samuel Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, for cooperating and ensuring all the instructions by the lands ministry were put into consideration to ease the exercise.
Titles which have so far been printed, have been handed over to various leaders of the Church where this land is found.
“Having a title means you are the rightful owner of the land. We believe this will protect Church land which was formerly lying idle, making it susceptible to grabbers,” the minister said.
She urged the Church to make their land productive, saying, “Even a land grabber will fear to take over land with some productive work done. This is the only tool we can use for now.”
At the commemoration, St Peter’s Kasalaga Church of Uganda raised funds towards the completion of the Parish priest’s house, whom they say, is living in a dilapidated structure.
Mr Enos Ssekiziyivu, the chairperson of the construction committee, said it has been long since the priest raised alarm over bedbugs, calling on good Samaritans to support the work of God and have this house completed soon.
“God needs a healthy servant but he cannot deliver as expected when he doesn’t sleep well,” he said, expressing the need to have funds raised.
