The Government of Uganda has successfully concluded a major clean-up of the land register in Mukono Municipality using cutting-edge blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, marking a significant milestone in the country’s land reform agenda.
Speaking during a ministerial update on the project, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, said the pilot exercise targeting Blocks 190, 193, and 530 in Kyaggwe County was a demonstration of how emerging technologies can transform public service delivery.
“This is the first time Uganda has used blockchain and AI to clean up the land register—and the results speak for themselves. We have successfully cancelled 1,237 irregular and overlapping titles in Mukono Municipality,” Hon. Nabakooba announced.
The problem of overlapping titles in the Mukono Zonal Land Office had persisted for decades, largely due to administrative errors dating back to the colonial period. Town blocks introduced in the 1950s were often laid over existing mailo land without proper coordination, resulting in duplicate or fraudulent titles.
“These systemic errors went undetected for years because of the limitations of the old manual system. But with digital tools, we can now trace, verify, and correct land records with unprecedented accuracy,” she explained.
According to the Ministry, the integration of blockchain into the land registry ensures that all transactions are tamper-proof and transparent, reducing the risk of title fraud. AI algorithms were used to analyze large volumes of historical data to detect anomalies and identify titles that were wrongly issued or duplicated.
“Artificial intelligence helped us flag inconsistencies and prioritize files for review, while blockchain guarantees that new entries into the register are immutable and secure,” Nabakooba noted. “This is a big step forward for Uganda in adopting modern, reliable systems for land governance.”The new technology aims at enhancing the existing digital system used by the lands ministry technical team to track all activities done on the land.
“Yes we digitized. Now to enhance, we have introduced a new technology because technology keeps on developing,” said Ms Judith Nabakooba, the Minister for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development during a press briefing at the Media Centre in Kampala on Friday.
The technology will allow collection of fingerprints and face pictures of the land owners, to facilitate easy identification.
“You just appear and even before doing anything, your picture appears. All these shortcomings that we have been facing, are going to be addressed through the use of technology.”
Nabakooba noted that her ministry is still in discussions with the company that was identified to develop this technology and once the process is done, it will be handed to the instituted inter-ministerial technical committee.
“We are looking at the ministry of ICT, ministry of finance, and National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA), to see how those teams can work together to have a clear strategy on how this technology is going to be implemented,” she said, noting that the team is under the leadership of the lands permanent secretary who is working along with her technical staff.
The minister added that once they have agreed on how it is going to be done, then work will start immediately.
Mr Johnson Bagiira, the Acting Commissioner Land Registration emphasised upgrading of technology to cope up with the trend saying they are taking it as enhancement because technology gets outdated very fast.
He edplained that the technology that was used 15 years ago, today you may find that it’s not very fit to be carried on with.
Uganda is copying this new technology from other countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where it’s progressing well. Additionally, technical staff in the ministry have benchmarked the same technology in other developed countries.
“When new technology comes up, it comes up with new features that can enhance security measures and also make the work more effective and efficient,” he said.
The clean-up involved public consultations, newspaper notices, and formal hearings with landowners. After a thorough verification process, the Ministry halted all transactions on the affected blocks, investigated each title, and proceeded with cancellations where necessary.
Now, with the register cleaned, the Ministry has officially reopened the blocks for normal transactions.
“I want to assure the public and financial institutions that Blocks 190, 193, and 530 are now clean, credible, and safe for investment,” she declared. “We are committed to expanding this technology-led reform across the country.”
Hon. Nabakooba also drew parallels with global trends, citing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as one of the countries successfully using blockchain and AI in land governance.
“If the UAE can secure land ownership through blockchain, so can Uganda. We are proving that technology is not just for developed countries—it’s for any nation ready to modernize and protect its people.”
The Minister praised the patience of affected landowners and lauded the efforts of the technical teams at the Mukono Zonal Office.
“To the Mukono Zonal Office staff and our top management at the Ministry, thank you for your professionalism, commitment, and hard work throughout this complex exercise.”
The Ministry has hinted that similar clean-ups are expected to be rolled out in other high-risk urban areas, with blockchain and AI playing a central role in ensuring Uganda’s land records are transparent, secure, and future-proof.
