The government has intensified efforts to identify, verify and protect public land in Bugisu and Bukedi regions through a new digital inventory designed to curb land grabbing, encroachment and corruption.
The initiative seeks to establish an accurate record of government land, including its ownership, boundaries, current use and any disputes or cases of encroachment, as authorities move to strengthen land management across the country.
State Minister for Lands Harriet Ntabazi said government land is a public asset held in trust for both current and future generations and must therefore be protected from fraud and illegal acquisition. Ntabazi was speaking on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at the opening of a regional stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a Comprehensive Government Land Inventory at Mbale Resort Hotel in Mbale City.
The meeting brought together Resident District Commissioners, LCV chairpersons, Chief Administrative Officers, land officials, civil society representatives and other stakeholders from 13 districts in Bugisu and Bukedi.
Ntabazi warned that the loss of government land not only deprives the public of valuable assets but can also force taxpayers to pay again for land needed to establish schools, hospitals, roads and other public infrastructure.
“Government land is a public asset held in trust for current and future generations,” she said, urging local leaders to work closely with the Ministry of Lands and the Uganda Land Commission to combat land grabbing, bribery and other forms of corruption.
She also cautioned public officials against using their positions to encroach on land belonging to government institutions. The minister identified land fragmentation and degradation in the densely populated Elgon area, inheritance and succession disputes, rapid urbanisation and informal land transactions among the challenges complicating land management in the region.
Uganda Land Commission Chairperson Prof. Pen Mogi Nyeko said the new inventory is intended to provide more than a database of government land titles.
“It will not be a mere list of titles but a verified, cross-checked picture of every government parcel,” Nyeko said. He explained that the exercise will establish the ownership, location, boundaries, use and status of each government parcel, while also documenting disputes and instances of encroachment.
Nyeko said some government institutions, particularly schools that historically held large tracts of land, have lost portions of their property through land grabbing, encroachment and the irregular acquisition of private titles.
Uganda Land Commission Secretary Andrew Nyumba described the Bugisu-Bukedi workshop as the sixth regional engagement in a nationwide exercise that started in Kampala. He said information collected for the inventory will be verified against district records, community information and physical ground assessments to ensure that the final database reflects the actual status of government land on the ground.
The Ministry of Lands is using a web-enabled digital platform to support the exercise. Senior Staff Surveyor Arthur Akanga and his team demonstrated the Government Land Inventory, which is designed to provide information on land under the custodianship of central government, government entities and local governments.
Chief Government Valuer Gilbert Kermundu, representing the Permanent Secretary, said securing government land is essential to the delivery of public services because public facilities depend on access to land. He said protecting such land would help safeguard space for schools, health facilities, roads, markets and other infrastructure needed by communities.
Bududa LCV Chairperson Natubu Geoffrey Wafukhulu welcomed the inventory but raised concerns over a disputed road passing through staff quarters at Bulucheke Health Centre III and a separate dispute over land hosting the Bududa Hospital water tank. Both matters have reportedly resulted in court cases.
Ntabazi pledged to follow up on the concerns raised by local leaders and ensure that the disputes involving government land are properly investigated and addressed.
The inventory is expected to give the government a clearer picture of what public land it owns, where it is located and how it is being used, information authorities say is critical to preventing public land from quietly slipping into private hands-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
