Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has defended the transfer of land registrars at the country’s 22 Ministry Zonal Offices (MZOs), saying the exercise was intended to strengthen accountability and protect the integrity of the National Land Information System (NLIS).
Addressing Parliament on Thursday, October 22, 2026, Nabakooba clarified that the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development had not formally suspended services at the zonal offices, although the ongoing administrative changes had affected the speed at which some transactions were processed.
The minister explained that the disruptions followed an internal review that exposed concerns about staff remaining at the same stations beyond the normal transfer cycle, a situation she said could expose public officers to undue influence from land dealers, brokers and agents.
Lands Minister Nabakooba
Nabakooba said the ministry responded by transferring affected staff and strengthening access controls to the digital land registry as part of wider efforts to improve service delivery, reinforce institutional discipline and safeguard land records.
She was careful to emphasise that the concerns should not be interpreted as an accusation against all employees at the zonal offices.
“Some zonal office staff had stayed at one station beyond the normal transfer cycle, leaving them susceptible to undue influence from land dealers, brokers, but also agents,” she explained.
Nabakooba said the ministry proceeded with staff transfers to strengthen accountability and ensure that the administration of land services remained guided by established public service procedures.
However, she disclosed that some officers initially resisted their new deployments, prompting the ministry to restrict their access credentials to the National Land Information System until they complied with the transfers.
“Ever since we said, ‘No, you have to go,’ they have since reported,” she told MPs, describing the earlier refusal to take up new assignments as a matter of institutional indiscipline.
The minister’s position is that the changes were part of an administrative process aimed at strengthening the land management system, rather than a formal decision to close the country’s zonal offices.
Nabakooba also reported progress in the verification of personnel authorised to access the National Land Information System, saying approximately 90 per cent of staff had completed the digital access revalidation exercise.
The Minister informed parliament that the transfers were effected according to the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2021 section (a-M) and the applicable posting and deployment policy.
“ These provisions are intended to promote equitable staff deployment,broaden professional experience , strengthen institutional capacity and ensurethat public officers remain responsive to the needs of the entire country ,” Nabakooba emphasized.
Nabakooba also conceded that her ministry had received concerns and feedback from the general public about delays , unprofessional conduct and alleged compromise of some officers in the discharge of their duties .
Dr. Emmanuel Freddie MugungaActing PS /Under Secretary in charge of Finance and Administration at Lands Ministry
Additionally , the acting Permanent Secretary who is also the Under Secretary in charge of Finance and Administration , Dr. Emmanuel Freddie Mugunga has issued operational guidelines at all the Ministry’s land zonal offices to eliminate , delays , corruption while improving service delivery .
Mugunga said that land dealers, agents and brokers will no-longer be allowed to operate from “our spaces” beyond the reception area.
“ We shall not allow people to move around individual officer desks inside our spaces. we are reducing human interaction so as to allow files to flow without the clients moving them in the offices,” he added
Mugunga further stated that the ministry is determined to improving customer care, enforce strict access control and focus on clearing backlog.
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The process is intended to ensure that only duly verified personnel can access the system used to process land transactions and manage registry information.
The ministry has also engaged a specialised team from the Ministry of Public Service to assess staffing levels and competencies across the 22 zonal offices.
The assessment is expected to help the ministry review staff deployment and address concerns about the distribution of personnel across the different offices.
The measures come amid growing public sensitivity over delays in land transactions, which can affect property transfers, mortgage processing and other activities that depend on timely access to land records.
