UGANDA, Acholi | Real Muloodi News | The Acholi Sub-region has recently witnessed a surge in questions regarding how over 45,000 hectares of government-owned land have been titled under private ownership.
A report by the Lands Ministry details the processing of land titles under both leasehold and freehold arrangements, totalling more than 158,100 hectares in the sub-region.
While 213 land titles were processed on government land between 1968 and 2023, covering up to 158,175.98 hectares, 113 titles (45,244.53 hectares) are under freehold ownership, and a further 100 titles (112,913.45 hectares) are under leasehold ownership.
“The law is very clear; an individual cannot own any piece of land on public land under freehold arrangement,” Prof. Jack Nyeko Penmogi, acting chairman of the Uganda Land Commission (ULC), said. He added, “Once we secure those details, we shall have no alternative than to cancel such titles.”
Among the districts in the sub-region, Gulu has the highest number of titles processed, totalling 106 out of 213 titles on government land.
In Agago District, there were only five titles (55.55 hectares), while Amuru District registered 16 titles (191.4 hectares) under freehold, and three under leasehold (1,862.3 hectares), totalling 2,053.7 hectares.
The findings indicate that the majority of titles processed are under leasehold arrangements.
Deputy paramount chief of the Acholi chiefdom, Mr Otinga Otto Atuka, noted that the chiefdom has received numerous complaints from residents reporting alleged threats from the National Forestry Authority (NFA) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) over land disputes.
In response, the Lands Ministry plans to invalidate applications for certificates of customary ownership from alleged encroachers on government land across the sub-region.
Senior lands officer at the ministry, Mr Hassan Abdallah Byantalo, emphasized the criminal nature of encroachment on government-owned land and urged land registrars not to accept such requests.
Since January 2024, the ministry has implemented a mass registration of customary land to address land disputes and alleged foreign land grabbers.
During a recent meeting in Gulu City, Prof. Penmogi mentioned ULC’s plans to generate a proper registry for government land in Acholi and speed up industrial development in the region while addressing disputes.
In recent years, former public (de-gazetted) land has experienced alleged massive encroachment by individuals, including illegal settlers such as the Balaalo herdsmen.
A September 2023 report recommended evicting at least 217 illegal Balaalo herdsmen who allegedly settled in the Acholi Sub-region without following proper procedures.
The report urged the government to revise all land lease agreements for land acquisition, ensure fair terms for landowners, and evict individuals who allegedly illegally acquired land titles.
The report also called for setting minimum land rates in the Acholi Sub-region to protect locals from manipulation.
In 2019, a petition challenged the constitutionality of land boards, alleging that they had processed land titles on public and customary lands in the sub-region.
The court ruling declared that de-gazetted land formerly under any customary owners, clan, or community in the Acholi Sub-region reverted to the original customary owners under customary tenure.
The judges ruled that District Land Boards should not grant leases over land not vested in them and that boards should manage such land for customary landowners. The boards can issue Certificates of Customary Ownership (CCOs) or freeholds by the law.
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