The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has handed over a land title of 21 square miles of land to the National Leadership Institute (NALI), Kyankwanzi after 40 years,
Handing over the Secretary Office of the President, Haji Yunus Kakande thanked the Permanent Secretary- Ministry of Lands, Mrs. Dorcas Okalany for taking an initiative and prompt action to secure the land title of NALI.
“Thank you Madam Permanent Secretary for this title NALI had spent 40 years without it. We tried out the process but it was not easy,” he said.
“I was informed by Col. Okei Rukogota that when you went for the training, you assured him that the land title will be processed within three weeks.I want to thank you so much for this initiative you took.”Kakande added.
He further explained that the land was more than the current 21 square miles but due to lack of proper documentation, some people grabbed it and made it their own.
“We tried to fence it but also failed because it was so expensive. 15 years ago the Kyankwanzi District Land Board sat and started distributing some land to different parties saying it was their mandate,” he said.
Kakande appealed to the Lands Ministry not to stop with securing NALI land only, but continue to secure other government land.
“The government has a lot of land in Mbarara, Masindi and other parts of the country which they want to grab.Government land is easy to take because most of it is not titled,” he explained.
Pemanent Secretary Dorcas Okalany revealed that she got to know that NALI had no title for its land during a recent ideological training for officials at the Ministry of Lands.
“When we got a chance to train at NALI for one week, we were warmly welcomed. During the training, I was shocked to learn that NALI had no land title. Someone could claim that land,” Mrs. Okalany stated.
“We did boundary opening, did a deed plan and now we are here with the title. We processed it in a record time. After the survey, we did it within two days,” she added.
She pledged to secure all government land from grabbers saying most of government land is being grabbed at a high speed by land grabbers because most of it has no land title.
“We have to move very fast. Some institutions like the Ministry of Education have started working with us to process titles for government schools,” she said.
Okalany assured Office of the President that NALI land title has already been put on the Ministry of Lands digital system whereby if someone tries to tamper with it, the system will notify the rightful owners.
“I encourage other government institutions especially those with big land like the army and police to come and secure their land,” she urged.
Col. Okei Rukogota, the Director of the NALI expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Lands and the Office of the President led by Haj Kakande for making the process of securing the land title possible.
“For four decades, NALI has existed without legal proof of ownership of more than 20 square miles it purported to own in Kyankwanzi. This has been so in spite of the strategic guidance that the land title was to be acquired as a matter of critical necessity. Now, this speaks volumes; and it is a reason why today is a day for celebration,” he said.
“When our leadership came to the helm of NALI in January 2025, the Minister for the Presidency and her PS, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda and Haji Yunus Kakande respectively, guided the Director to work to secure the certificate of title as a matter of priority. We dutifully included this assignment into our plan of action of the must accomplish projects/ tasks for our first year in office.”
Col. Rukogota, however noted that it was evident the assignment to acquire the certificate of title was to be the hardest to achieve with surveyor companies asking the institution to pay over Shs1 billion to do the job.
“To cut the long story short, it was in October, 2025 when a God-sent opportunity presented itself, when the revolutionary and patriotic spirited Permanent secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development brought her Ministry top officers for an ideological training course,” he noted.
“NALI told her that the Institute was bent on acquiring the certificate of title by all means necessary. Madam Okalany was more than ready to get us the title. Indeed she decreed that it would take a mere three weeks to get the title. As they say, the rest is history.”
Kyankwanzi is a district in Uganda, known for hosting the National Leadership Institute (NALI), a key training center for leaders during the Bush War and still active today, making it a stronghold for the ruling NRM party. Located in the central region, it’s a mix of cattle-keeping communities (Banyankole, Banyarwanda) and agricultural areas, focused on crops like maize and livestock, with development in infrastructure, education (Makerere University extension), and ICT
NALI established by the NRM regime trains public servants and military, solidifying Kyankwanzi’s political significance. Situated in the “cattle corridor,” it’s home to cattle-keeping groups, with farming (maize, soybean) and livestock being major activities.
Key economic activities include agriculture (maize, soybeans) and cattle farming, with efforts to boost value chains.
Historically a frontier area, it became significant during the Bush War and was carved out of Kiboga District in 2010 for better service delivery.