Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development (MLHUD), has processed and issued at least 57,325 freehold Certificates of titles under the World Bank supported Systematic Land Adjudication And Certification (SLAAC) programme.
Bukedea received 9,726; Serere 6,606; Soroti 4,176; Kimuli 4,295; Luuka 488; Isingiro 1,906 and Ntungamo 8,231. Meanwhile additional 1,418 were given to Kikuube and 20,478 titles for Maracha.
Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba handed over the titles to Zonal land officers during an event held at the Surveys and Mapping Department offices in Entebbe on Tuesday.
In her speech the minister said this is part of the government’s initiative to curb land grabbing and conflicts among citizens across the country.
Nabakooba, noted that so far only five regions have benefited but arrangements are under way to roll the exercise to other parts of the country.
“Where unregistered land and interests are ascertained in a Systematic manner, parcel by parcel, everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status, education, or literacy level, including the vulnerable and marginalized, is included in securing their rights under highly subsidized government intervention,” she stressed.
According to Nabakooba beneficiaries of SLAAC programme are from seven districts of Bukedea, Serere, Arua, Jinja, Masindi and Kikuube where government has funded all the exercise and the land owners contributed only Shs85,000 however it is very costly, for individuals register incurring between Shs8million to sh 10 million.
Nabakooba urged all land owners to embrace the exercise to curb land disputes and evictions.
“Citizens need to appreciate this government effort to ensure that all land owners acquire a document from the government showing ownership of their land and stay informed about how best to protect and use their land optimally without any threats,” she said.
“We are working on 300,000 titles, so this is just a quarter of what is expected of us under the SLAAC Project.”Nabakooba explained.
Richard Juuko,Under Secretary Ministry of Lands said since inception of SLAAC at least 19 districts have been covered.
He however tasked zonal officers to ensure titles are handed over to the beneficiaries as soon as they reach their respective destinations.
“We have given you these titles to ensure you hand them over to beneficiaries. We don’t expect to find them in your offices,” he instructed.
Johson Bigirwa, Acting Commissioner for Land Registration, revealed that only 23 percent of the land has been registered, with hopes of more coverage with the SLAAC programme.
SLAAC in Uganda refers to the systematic land adjudication and certification program, an initiative of the Ugandan government aimed at improving land tenure security and promoting proper land management. It’s a key part of the Land Tenure Reform, streamlining and modernizing land delivery processes.
SLAAC aims to increase the rate of land registration and certification, secure land rights, and improve the efficiency of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development
Benefits of Slaac
The programme has enabled the public to register their land free of charge, ensuring access to land rights regardless of location or income.
The program has also reduced land disputes and enhance land tenure security.
the programme has further increased land productivity and helped rural people secure land rights; the program aims to boost agricultural productivity and investment.