Government Moves to Reduce Cost of Obtaining Land Titles

What the report says

Lands Minister of State Harriet Ntabazi said Uganda is introducing digital systems meant to cut the cost and hassle of getting land titles, amid long-running complaints about high fees and manual processing. Speaking in Sheema District, she said applicants should be able to enter their details at district level and receive titles without moving between multiple offices, while the ministry works to tighten oversight of surveyors and land administrators.

According to the report from Nile Post, Ntabazi said some landowners have been paying more than Shs2.5 million to surveyors and district land board committees, with part of that money not reaching government. She warned that land committees, district land boards and ministerial zonal offices are not supposed to charge for their services, and said the ministry is upgrading survey, mapping and registration systems to help reduce overlapping titles and improve detection of errors in land records.

She also said the government is developing a blockchain-based land record system and continuing a World Bank-funded programme to issue titles to rural landowners. Beyond registration reforms, Ntabazi said Cabinet is considering broader changes that would let people keep ownership of land while government determines land use for public projects, a proposal she linked to delays and rising compensation costs. She also raised the idea of promoting condominiums over standalone bungalows in urban areas as part of wider land-use planning. The report notes that the legal framework for these ideas was not provided.