Lands, Housing and Urban Development minister, Judith Nabakooba on Saturday July 15 issued a progress report on the Competitiveness and Enterprise Development Project (CEDP), a programme where the lands ministry is an implementing partner.
While speaking in a press briefing at the lands ministry in Kampala, Ms. Nabakooba said ever since the project was introduced, a lot to do with resolving land disputes and extension of services near to people in different regions that make up the country has tremendously improved.
“We have seen people getting land titles through this project, resolving land conflicts, and the formation of 22 land zonal offices in Uganda. Initially, the country had only one office located here at the ministry and people who needed any kind of land-related services had to travel to Kampala. But now, all our zonal land offices issue out land titles,” she noted.
CEDP is a government of Uganda Project financed by the International Development Agency of the World Bank to improve the competitiveness of enterprises in Uganda through supporting reforms in priority productive and service sectors.
Through this project, the minister noted that the government secured funding from the International Development Agency of the World Bank that has enabled the project to create business reforms, giving priority to the Land administration reform which has seen transformation of the registration process.
“We are undertaking systematic registration of communal and individually owned land and a well-implementing program of actions for strengthening institutions and mechanisms for land dispute resolutions,” she explained.
According to the minister, the project has also seen the development of a program of action for strengthening land administration and management institutions in Uganda, which developed and implemented Land formation systems, incorporating registration, valuation, and physical development planning functions in all zonal land offices.
“In this exercise, we have developed geographical information systems, established appropriate databases and systems, and preparation of Physical development plans at the national, regional, and district levels,” she shared.
The project, she further noted, has enhanced the technology for special data publishing and strengthened the survey and mapping department to ensure they produce high-quality work.
“We can distribute and disseminate base maps for land administration. We are undertaking systematic registration of communal and individually owned land by organizing and establishing communal groups into communal land associations in priority areas which includes the Northern and the Eastern regions.”
The project has successfully systematically registered and demarcated communal land in the names of the Communal Lands Association, demarcation, and registration of individual lands in rural and urban areas including issuance of titles to the said individuals.
With CEDP, as of June 2023, 1.2 million land titles registered in Mailo land, freeholds, lease titles, native freeholds, and subleases across the country have been registered.
Nabakooba also revealed that 78,000 customary land titles have since been issued in Kasese, Kabale, Nwoya, Adjumani, Butalejja, Mbale City, Moroto, Katakwi, Dokolo, and Amolatar among others districts.
The future
From the CEDP additional funding, the Lands Ministry hopes to set up an archive center in Entebbe, ensure that the National Land System is enhanced, topographic maps are produced and disseminated in urban and rural areas, issue of 1 million freehold titles in Isingiro, Kikuube, Ntungamo, Sheema, Ibanda, Kamuli, Oyam, Maracha, Apac, Soroti, Serere Bukedea, Namutumba, Luuka, Mayuge, and Jinja districts.
The ministry anticipates doing mapping and registration of 175,000 customary land titles in Omoro, Amuru, Kitgum, Kwania, Alebtong, Otuke, Kole, Buyende, Kaliro, Bugweri, Bugiri, Tororo, Budaka, Butebo, Kibuku, Pallisa, Busia, Kabiramyido, Yumbe, Zombo, Arua, Koboko, Nebbi, Ngora, Kabarole, Kyegegwa, Masindi among other districts.
Also, through this project, there will be the formation of 600 Communal Land Associations by the end of 2024.
