UGANDA, Wakiso | Real Muloodi News | When purchasing land, it’s essential to ensure that it has road access. John Mukasa once bought a plot of land in Wakiso two years ago to construct a residential house.
He hired a construction company to deliver the necessary building materials, including bricks and sand.
However, when the company sent a truck to deliver sand, they discovered huge logs in the middle of the supposed road leading to John’s plot.
Upon investigation, it turned out that John had purchased a kibanja/plot without road access. The existing road only led to the neighbouring plot, and the woman who owned that land informed John that he was trespassing on her property.
During the time of the sale, land brokers had convinced him that the road served his plot too.
Unfortunately, the area chairperson, who was a land broker by trade, had drafted the sale agreement and witnessed it, well aware that the plot had no road access.
This scenario is a result of poor planning, which is common with unsurveyed/untitled land.
In this case, the land was previously one huge kibanja (untitled land) owned by a mutaka (landlord) in the area, and upon his death, his children subdivided it among themselves without considering proper planning procedures. As a result, some plots were left without road access.
Joseph Kimbowa, Buganda Land Board’s communications lead, says proper planning is the responsibility of local authorities. However, bottlenecks such as a limited workforce, inadequate finances, and politicking often stand in the way of it.
Therefore, Mr Kimbowa says individuals must be vigilant and consult professionals such as surveyors or physical planners to check the area plan before purchasing land.
The cost of such services is worth it compared to the risk of purchasing land with no road access, he says.
Buganda Land Board can also be helpful in such instances because they have the expertise to offer physical planning services for people on both Kabaka’s land and another tenure.
They can help to ensure that land has access to necessary social services such as roads, water, and electricity lines.
Roads, electricity, and water lines should be well marked and reserved before the land is subdivided, either through a survey or ordinary village divisions by local council chairpersons.
Some local councils have come up with village maps that clearly show plot numbers coupled with well-demarcated roads, a welcome idea that can only be improved with the involvement of physical planning professionals.
Buying land without conducting due diligence is a risky venture that can lead to inaccessible homes and localities with poor sanitation.
It’s essential to ensure that the land you are purchasing has access to necessary social services such as roads, water, and electricity lines. While some people believe that road access is a given, many properties do not have access roads and are technically classified as landlocked.
With proper planning, clarity and harmony can be achieved, especially in instances where broken families are sharing the spoils of their hardworking forefathers.
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