A dispute has emerged between Gulu City authorities and the Uganda Lands Commission (ULC) over plans to allocate more than 11 acres of a gazetted wetland in the city centre to private developers.
The land in question lies along the Pece I Stream in Bardege-Layibi Division and is designated as a protected wetland by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). Despite its protected status, at least 15 individuals have applied to the Uganda Lands Commission since 2024 to acquire portions of the land for various developments.
Among the applicants is National Resistance Movement (NRM) Secretary General Richard Todwong, who is seeking four acres located directly within the wetland. The proposed allocations have alarmed city authorities, who argue that the move would undermine a planned multi-billion-shilling green-space project intended to transform the area into an urban recreational and tourism hub.
The estimated 9 billion Shillings project seeks to establish urban linear parks along the natural drainage course of Pece Stream in the Laroo-Pece and Bardege-Layibi divisions. The initiative is expected to beautify the city, improve environmental conservation and boost tourism, with funding anticipated under the World Bank-supported Uganda Cities and Municipalities Infrastructure Development (UCMID) programme.
During a recent meeting between city officials and representatives of the Uganda Lands Commission, members of the Gulu City Land Board rejected proposals to allocate the wetland to the applicants. Alfred Okello, Gulu City’s Senior Landscaping Officer, warned that approving the applications would jeopardise the city’s long-term development plans.
Representing the Uganda Lands Commission, Senior Lands Officer Ronnie Bahungule maintained that the land falls under the commission’s mandate as part of the 20 per cent of public land held in trust by the government. He said the applications were submitted between June 2024 and December 2025.
However, Gulu City Environment Officer Joyce Aryemo Latigo said the city’s Physical Planning Department had never received any correspondence regarding the applications.
“All applications pass through the Physical Planning Department, and I have sat here for almost six years and haven’t seen any application. We need the Ministry of Water and Environment and all the applicants to show us their land,” Aryemo said.
She noted that the wetland covers approximately 11 acres and had already been demarcated by the Ministry of Water and Environment with official mark-stones. She also questioned the exact land that the Uganda Lands Commission claims to own within the city.
“I don’t know which land they are talking about, but what I know is that this wetland is about 11 acres. This wetland has been there and marked by the Ministry of Water and Environment,” she said.
Information obtained by Uganda Radio Network indicates that Gulu City itself applied for the same land in 2024 to facilitate the proposed green-space project, which would span about 17 acres across the Laroo-Pece and Bardege-Layibi divisions. An official in the city’s lands department, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, questioned how the number of applicants had risen from three to 15 since discussions with the Uganda Lands Commission began last year.
“With all due respect, at the time, there were only three applicants, and NEMA was already involved. I am surprised that the number of applicants has increased from three to 15,” the official told Uganda Radio Network.
The source added that the city had earlier sought a land title for the area after expressing interest in establishing the green-space project and challenged the Uganda Lands Commission to provide proof of its cadastral map for the land.
Responding to the concerns, Bahungule explained that the application process begins with the Uganda Lands Commission before being forwarded to local physical planning committees for review and comments. “An application first comes to the Uganda Lands Commission before it is routed to the physical planning committee in the area where the land is located. We need the physical planning comments before any title can be processed,” he said.
He emphasised that submitting an application does not guarantee approval and that recommendations from the city’s Physical Planning Committee would determine whether the applicants succeed.
“On our side, we receive applications, but what we are waiting for are comments from the Gulu City Council. Those comments will determine whether some or all of the applicants succeed,” Bahungule said. He urged the city’s Physical Planning Department to formally submit its position to guide the commission’s next course of action.
Meanwhile, one of the applicants, Claire Acan, who is seeking one acre of the land, said she was gradually losing interest in the property because of the conflicting claims over ownership and use of the wetland. The Pece Stream wetland has long faced pressure from encroachment and unregulated development. Environmentalists warn that further degradation of the ecosystem could have serious consequences for biodiversity, urban drainage systems and flood management in Gulu City-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
