The government of Uganda is set to host the first-ever land learning week conference aimed at discussing and reflecting on the challenges and progress realized in the land sector.
The Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, said while addressing journalists on June 7, 2024, at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, that the learning week will kick off from June 9–15, 2024, at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.
Organized under the government and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOS) partnerships in land governance, the conference is expected to attract attendance from 100 foreign delegates from over 40 different countries.
Minister Nabakooba said that the conference will provide a platform for exchanging knowledge and sharing experiences in the land sector.
“Uganda shall show how we have used partnerships to achieve land tenure security, and so, there shall be a series of field visits to Dokolo and Butaleja districts to share knowledge and experiences about government-CSO collaborations,” Nabakooba said.
She listed 13 areas that will be tackled during the conference, including handling forced evictions and remedies, best practices to conduct, and concluding land reforms.
Nabakooba further noted that the conference will also look at dealing with issues of land fraud and forgeries, enhancing revenue generation for the government from the land sector, and documenting women’s land rights and those of indigenous communities.
Nabakooba noted that through partnerships, 600 Communal Land Associations (CLAS) have been incorporated with support from different organizations.
She said that the organizations include Landnet in Agago and Nwoya, PELUM Uganda in Kaabong, Karamoja with Karamoja Development Forum, Moroto Catholic Diocese, and the European Union, among others.
During the briefing, Dr. Doreen Kobusingye, a representative from the National Land Coalition, noted that they will also be sharing successful stories that civil society has achieved.
Kobusingye said that they have reached a milestone in the Land Act proposed amendment, conflict resolution, and contribution to the National Land Policy 2013 assessment.
“We thank the government of Uganda for the good partnership that has yielded good results as far as ensuring land rights and access to land for all the vulnerable persons concerned,” she said.
She added, “After the amendment of the Succession Act, now girls can inherit land for their parents.”
Kobusingye further said that they want to see the government address the issues of refugees in Uganda and how they are coping with land rights in the refugee-hosting communities.
Frances Birungi Odong, the Executive Director of the Uganda Community-Based Association for Women and Children Welfare (UCOBAC), another partner in the land sector, said that as much as the government has formulated laws that are gender progressive, several Ugandans are not able to exercise their land rights.
