SHEILA CATHERINE ABAMU: Bridging the Gap Between Law and Reality for Women’s Land Rights in Uganda

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion piece by Sheila Catherine Abamu arguing that Ugandan women’s land rights are protected in law but often not in practice. The article describes a common pattern in which widows lose access to family land after a husband’s death, especially in rural areas where land is frequently held under customary tenure and governed by local norms rather than formal title deeds.

Abamu says Uganda’s legal framework is stronger than many people assume, citing constitutional equality protections, the Land Act’s spousal-consent rules for family land, and the Succession (Amendment) Act of 2022, which she says protects a widow’s principal residence from unlawful eviction by extended family. She argues that the main problem is enforcement, awareness, and access to remedies, rather than a lack of laws.

The piece also highlights the Domestic Violence Act as a possible tool for widows facing eviction, noting that denial of access to a shared home can amount to economic abuse. Abamu urges lawyers, bankers, government officials, and property professionals to help ensure that land transactions and family disputes do not undermine women’s rights. She identifies herself as Legal Manager at KCB Bank Uganda Ltd. The article is presented as an op-ed, not a reported news investigation.