GovernmentGovernment Gives Local Authorities Two Weeks to Account for Public Land Gives Local Authorities Two Weeks to Account for Public Land

What the report says

Uganda’s government has ordered local authorities to compile records of all government-owned land in their areas within two weeks, according to Nile Post. The directive was announced by Minister of State for Lands Harriet Ntabazi during a regional stakeholders’ workshop on the national government land inventory in Hoima, in the Bunyoro Sub-region.

The exercise asks chief administrative officers, town clerks, district land officers, physical planners and sub-county chiefs to identify public land, record its location, note whether it is occupied, vacant or developed, and confirm its ownership status. Local leaders are also expected to name officers to coordinate with field teams that will conduct physical inspections and compare site findings with existing records.

Ntabazi said the inventory is meant to help government protect public property from illegal occupation, land grabbing and ownership disputes. The article says the broader aim is to create a reliable national register of public land so it can be better managed and used for schools, health centres, roads, forests and other public projects.

Nile Post reports that the Uganda Land Commission and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development are leading the effort, with local governments playing a central role because they are closest to the land in question. Officials hope the exercise will also make future land acquisition for public projects faster and more transparent by showing what government already owns.