Land Learning Week to address forced eviction remedies and land reforms

Uganda has organised the first-ever Land Learning Week conference to discuss and reflect on the challenges and progress realised in the land sector.

Organised under the government and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOS) partnerships in land governance, the learning week will kick off from June 9 to June 15, 2024, at Speke Resort, Munyonyo in Kampala. It is expected to attract attendance from 100 foreign delegates from over 40 different countries.

The pronouncement was made by Judith Nabakooba, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development while addressing journalists on June 7 at the Media Centre in Kampala.

Nabakooba said the conference will provide a platform for exchanging knowledge and sharing of experiences in the land sector.

“Uganda shall show how we have used partnerships to achieve land tenure security and so there shall be a series of field visits to Dokolo and Butaleja Districts to share knowledge and experiences about Government-CSO collaborations,” she said.

The minister listed 13 areas that will be tackled in the conference, including handling forced evictions and remedies, best practices to conduct, and concluding land reforms.

The conference will also look at dealing with issues of land fraud and forgeries, enhancing revenue generation for the government from the land sector, and documenting women’s land rights and those of Indigenous communities.

Other areas to be discussed include the best practices for releasing land for production and securing land for investment.

The conference will also discuss partnerships and explore enabling conditions and challenges for successful partnerships.

Notable sponsors of this learning week are the International Land Coalition (ICL), Land Collaborative, the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), RVO/Land-at Scale, and National Land Coalition Uganda (NLC Uganda).

Ms Nabakooba recounted that through partnerships, 600 Communal Land Associations (CLAS) have been incorporated with support from different organizations.

She said organisations include Landnet in Agago and Nwoya, PELUM Uganda in Kaabong, Karamoja with Karamoja Development Forum, Moroto Catholic Diocese, and the European Union, among others.

The government has also issued 82,000 customary titles in collaboration with FAO in Kasese, ZOA in Terego and Nwoya, Makerere University in Adjumani, and Kisoro.

Dr Doreen Kobusingye, a representative from the National Land Coalition, said they will also be sharing successful stories their civil society has achieved.

She said they have reached a milestone in the Land Act proposed amendment, conflict resolution, and contribution to the National Land Policy 2013 assessment.

“We thank the government of Uganda for the good partnership that has yielded good results as far as ensuring land rights and access to land for all the vulnerable persons is concerned,” Dr Kobusingye said.

She added: “After the amendment of the Succession Act, now girls can inherit land for their parents.”

She said they want to see the government addressing issues of refugees in Uganda and how they are coping with land rights in the refugee-hosting communities.

Ms Frances Birungi Odong, the Executive Director of the Uganda Community-Based Association for Women and Children Welfare (UCOBAC), said much as the government has formulated laws that are gender progressive, several Ugandans are not able to exercise their land rights.