MPs Push for Urgent Reforms to Combat Fraudulent Land Titling in Uganda

Lawmakers in Uganda are pushing for sweeping reforms within the land sector to address widespread fraud, overlapping ownership, and costly administrative blunders. These recommendations follow a comprehensive oversight assessment conducted by the Committee on Lands across six ministry zonal offices, including Mukono, Wakiso, Masaka, Jinja, Mbale, and Soroti.

Presenting the findings, Committee Chairperson Hon. Edson Rugumayo highlighted how a lack of due diligence by officials often leads to fraudulent double titling. The report cited a landmark Supreme Court case where Henley Property Developers Limited was awarded Shs50 billion in compensation after the land registry erroneously issued a duplicate title. The committee has urged authorities to prosecute implicated officers, clean up faulty land records, and upgrade infrastructure.

Parliament also scrutinized the Ministry’s recent suspension of Special Certificates of Title. Hon. Rugumayo noted that while the ban aimed to combat fraud, it lacked sufficient legal backing and unnecessarily disrupted genuine transactions, credit access, and government revenue. To prevent future errors, legislators proposed involving local council leaders and immediate neighbors in boundary openings and title verifications.

Furthermore, lawmakers discussed systemic vulnerabilities, such as the unauthorized conversion of leased properties on Kabaka’s land into freehold titles. Hon. Boniface Okot recommended amending Section 159 of the Registration of Titles Act so that culpable land officers personally bear the financial burden of their mistakes, rather than taxpayers.

Closing the debate, Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth directed the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development to transition contract-based land officers into permanent employment to foster greater professional integrity. For more details, read the original report on the Parliament of Uganda.