Lands, Housing and Urban Development Minister Judith Nabakooba has proposed a three-month suspension of the issuance of special certificates of title to allow the government to review the process and stop the growing problem of double titling.
Nabakooba said some lands officers were issuing special certificates on land that already had registered owners, creating disputes and giving land grabbers an opportunity to take away people’s property.
She warned lands officers against ignoring verification procedures, saying those found issuing titles illegally could be arrested.
“You have slept on your duty on the issue of special certificates. When you continue issuing them, I will send the police and they will arrest you,” Nabakooba warned.
The minister made the remarks on August 14 during a meeting with lands staff at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala. She said the ministry needed to pause the process and develop clear guidelines before the issuance of special certificates resumes.
Nabakooba pointed to cases in Kyengera, Wakiso District, and Kabula in Lyantonde District, where special titles had reportedly been issued despite claims and existing titles on the same pieces of land.
She said the problem was putting pressure on ministry leaders because people whose land is affected frequently seek their intervention. She added that many of the complaints were coming from the Buganda region.
The minister’s warning comes at a time when land grabbing, overlapping titles and double titling remain major concerns in Uganda. She said such practices are damaging public confidence in the country’s land administration system.
Nabakooba also ordered lands officers to clear the backlog of land transactions by December. She questioned how the ministry could meet the target when some officers reportedly report to work only once a week.
“There are people who work for only one day a week. We get a lot of complaints from the public,” she said.
She further criticised poor customer care, saying some lands officers shout at clients and make them uncomfortable when seeking help. She urged staff to treat members of the public with respect and provide services professionally.
The minister also ordered the removal of brokers operating around Ministry Zonal Offices. She accused some of them of misleading members of the public, pretending to be ministry officials and demanding money from unsuspecting clients.
To help the public identify genuine employees, Nabakooba directed lands officers to wear name tags and ministry shirts.
She also instructed technical officers to enter titles completed under the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification programme into the land information system and ensure they reach the intended beneficiaries. Officials were also told to work with contractors to provide missing data needed to complete the programme.
Acting Permanent Secretary Dr Emmanuel Mugunga urged staff to embrace teamwork, accountability and respectful treatment of both colleagues and clients. He warned that the Human Capital Management System would monitor staff attendance and that absenteeism would have consequences.
Minister of State for Housing Persis Namuganza urged lands officials to work harder to restore public confidence, saying some members of the public now associate the sector with land grabbing.
State Minister for Lands Harriet Ntabaazi also called for stronger cooperation among staff. She warned technical officers against behaving like “small gods” at their duty stations and urged them to serve people fairly.
The ministers agreed that stronger accountability, proper procedures and better teamwork are needed to address land grabbing, double titling and other problems affecting Uganda’s land administration system.
