The Minister of Lands Housing and Urban Development Judith Nabakooba has laid new plans to be undertaken during the next 10 years to ensure the effective implementation of the National Land Policy (NLP).
The new plan was unveiled during the National Land Policy platform, a three-day workshop held at Hotel Africana in Kampala to review the implementation of the National Land Policy in Uganda.
“ We are here to reflect on what has been done and where we are not doing well for the ministry to identify where the problems are and we see how to address them. I believe all stakeholders present will be in position to come up with concrete practical recommendations that will help us to improve where we have not been in position to perform to the levels,” Nabakooba said in his address to the participants .
After 10 years of implementing the Land Policy, the ministry of Lands with support from GIZ-Uganda and European Union commissioned an impact study to assess the implementation of the land policy ..
Ms Nabakooba noted that the NLP articulates the role of land in national development, land ownership, distribution, utilization, management and control of land and to ensure that land is used optimal to transform the society from a peasant state to the income middle country.
The ministry today is overseeing the transformation of cities, urban centers are transitioning into smart cities and sustainable locations.
In the new framework, the minister considers land tenure systems as stipulated under the law that constitutes land allocations, adjudication, the cadastral survey, land registration, land records management and land disputes resolution as one of the key areas to be worked on.
The minister acknowledged the many cases of land conflicts especially in Buganda and Bunyoro regions . “Land conflicts are everywhere which calls for collective responsibility to find lasting solution .We are looking at the cases handled by the Resident District Commissioners to ensure that they serve justice,” she said.
“From the report of the previous 10 years, about 30,000 cases have not been handled and this will increase the case backlog .,” she added.
In the next 10 years, Informal settlements, accuracy and consistence of evaluation, property identification, encroachment on fragile ecosystems such as wetlands, the forests, the tourism sites and excessive land fragmentation, affordable houses, tax incentives to the real estate people, land speculation and physical planning will also be key center points.
Mrs Dorcas Okalany, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands said that NLP recognizes the importance of the efficient, equitable, optimal utilization and management of Uganda’s land and land based resources for poverty reduction, wealth creation and social economic development in the country.
Ms Naomi Kabanda, the Acting Director Land Development revealed that NLP platform is intended to do an assessment of the land policy for the last 10 years. And the next step is to draft the next national land policy for the coming10 years incorporating new areas in addition to continuing with the existing one that will be worked on.
