The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has launched a nationwide exercise to issue land titles for all land belonging to the Church of Uganda across its 39 dioceses.
The exercise follows a directive issued by President Yoweri Museveni in September 2022, after a request from the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, seeking government intervention to protect church property from encroachment and land grabbing.
According to Denis Obbo, the spokesperson and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Lands, the first phase of the exercise will begin in the Kigezi sub-region, covering four dioceses: Kigezi Diocese (Kabale, Rukiga, and Rubanda), Muhabura Diocese (Kisoro), Kinkiizi Diocese (Kanungu), and North Kigezi Diocese (Rukungiri).
Obbo said the ministry has already received more than 5,000 applications from different dioceses, with the Kigezi sub-region alone submitting 1,194 applications. He added that processing and issuance of titles in the region is expected to take about three months starting in May 2026.
Rev. Canon Dr. Jasper Tumuhimbise, the Chief Executive Officer of the Church Commissioners Holding Company, said the initiative will significantly reduce costs for the church. He explained that while the average cost of processing a single land title ranges between Shs12 million and Shs15 million, the church will only pay Shs400,000 per title under the government-supported arrangement. Tumuhimbise said the subsidised fees are intended to enable the church to secure ownership of its land without heavy financial strain.
The Bishop of Kigezi Diocese, Gaddie Akanjuna, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a major step in safeguarding church property. He said the church has for years faced increasing cases of land grabbing both from outsiders and some individuals within church structures. Bishop Akanjuna said the titling exercise is a strategic move to protect the future of church property and urged Christians to support the process financially and administratively.
The Church of Uganda has in recent years faced several high-profile land disputes. In August 2020, St Peter’s Church Ndeeba was demolished by businessman Dodoviko Mwanje, who claimed ownership of the land, sparking nationwide outrage. In February 2024, a land dispute involving Harambee-Kaharo High School in Kabale District led to the temporary closure of the school after claims of ownership by Ronald Hector Serikare of Harambee Fellowship Limited.
However, in May 2025, the Kabale High Court ruled in favour of the Diocese of Kigezi, restoring ownership of the disputed land to the church. The new nationwide titling programme is expected to strengthen legal protection of church land and reduce future disputes across Uganda-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
