UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | The government has intensified efforts to strengthen land governance systems across Uganda, aiming to protect vulnerable communities and reduce long-standing land conflicts. Through the ongoing RECLAIMing Land Rights for Asset-holding Populations in Uganda (RELAPU) project, authorities have made significant progress in formalizing land tenure, resolving disputes, and extending secure land rights in both customary and refugee-hosting areas.
Since 2016, RELAPU has facilitated the issuance of more than 10,800 Certificates of Customary Ownership and over 550 Certificates of Occupancy on private Mailo land. The initiative has also supported more than 111,000 households with land inventory documentation, helped formalize hundreds of tenancy agreements in refugee-hosting districts, and resolved the majority of recorded land disputes. Officials say these outcomes reflect a deliberate national push to make land rights more transparent, documented, and enforceable.
Uganda’s complex mix of tenure systems — customary, Mailo, freehold, and leasehold — has long contributed to unclear ownership, overlapping claims, and frequent disputes. For rural families, tenants, and communities recovering from displacement, the lack of formal documentation has often resulted in evictions, exploitation, and loss of ancestral land. By documenting customary holdings and decentralizing registration services through zonal offices, the government aims to reduce ambiguity while making formal land services more accessible to ordinary citizens.
Land officials emphasize that securing land rights is not only a social protection measure but also an economic one. Individuals with documented ownership or recognized occupancy are better positioned to invest in their land, engage in long-term development, and, where applicable, use land documentation to access finance. Stable tenure encourages agricultural productivity, supports commercial growth, and strengthens household resilience.
In refugee-hosting districts, where land access has historically been sensitive, RELAPU’s support for formal tenancy agreements has provided greater certainty for both host communities and displaced populations. These agreements reduce the risk of disputes, clarify rights and responsibilities, and promote peaceful coexistence.
A central component of the initiative has been improving institutional capacity to manage land services. By integrating customary land documentation into the formal land administration system and equipping zonal offices to handle registration, verification, and dispute resolution, the government seeks to reduce bureaucratic delays and strengthen accountability.
Officials note that most land conflicts arise from unclear or undocumented tenure. Strengthening local land governance structures helps communities resolve disputes early and reduces reliance on costly formal litigation. Community-based mechanisms have also been trained and supported to document claims, mediate disagreements, and guide landholders through registration procedures.
While the progress recorded under RELAPU marks a significant shift, challenges remain. Limited access to registration services in remote areas, entrenched customary practices, and gaps in public awareness continue to slow uptake. Ensuring that women, widows, and marginalized groups benefit equally from land documentation efforts also requires sustained engagement.
Even so, the increase in formal land titles, the successful documentation of customary holdings, and the high rate of dispute resolution demonstrate meaningful improvement in Uganda’s land governance landscape. For many households, secure and documented rights are helping restore confidence, stability, and long-term economic potential.
As the government continues to implement land reforms, stakeholders say maintaining transparency, community involvement, and responsiveness will be essential. Strengthened land governance not only protects vulnerable populations but also supports national development by providing a clearer, fairer, and more reliable foundation for land ownership and use across the country.
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