Uganda’s widows need more than laws on matters land

What the report says

In a commentary published by The Independent Uganda on August 10, 2026, Sheila Catherine Abamu argues that widows in Uganda often lose access to family land despite existing legal protections. The piece describes a recurring pattern in which a husband dies and relatives move quickly to take control of property, leaving the widow vulnerable if land is unregistered or if she lacks formal documents and legal support.

Abamu says the main problem is not a shortage of laws, but weak enforcement, limited awareness and gaps in institutional practice. She points to the Constitution’s equality guarantees, the Land Act’s spousal consent requirements for family land, and the Succession (Amendment) Act of 2022, which protects a widow’s principal residential holding. She argues that these protections often do not reach women living under customary tenure, which she says covers much of Uganda’s land and is frequently governed by patriarchal norms.

The commentary also highlights the Domestic Violence Act as a possible but underused remedy when a widow faces eviction or exclusion from her home. Abamu urges lawyers, bankers, government officials and property dealers to help ensure that the legal protections already on the books are applied in practice. The broader point, as framed by the author, is that women’s land rights in Uganda depend not only on legislation, but on whether those laws are understood, enforced and respected in everyday disputes.