Securing Land: Mbarara locals receive land titles from government
MBARARA CITY, September 19, 2024 – The government has distributed 1,325 freehold land titles to residents of Mbarara City. A land title is a crucial document that proves land ownership in Uganda.
Melsi Gatabi, Communications Officer at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development for the Mbarara region, stated that processing land titles for vulnerable Ugandans began in 2018 as part of a government strategy to reduce land conflicts.
She explained that the government is implementing the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification (SLAAC) project to map and process land titles in selected districts across the country.
“People should come and collect their land titles processed under the SLAAC project. The government is issuing these titles free of charge to help mitigate land conflicts. “In the Ankole region, we started with Mbarara, Kiruhura, Ibanda, and Rwampara, and are now working on Isingiro and Ntungamo,” Gatabi noted.
She urged beneficiaries to safeguard their land titles, warning that they could be stolen by unscrupulous individuals. “Land titles are vital for your families. Don’t use them as collateral for bank loans unless you are certain you can repay; otherwise, you risk losing your land,” she cautioned.
On his Assy Abirebe Tumwesigire, Town Clerk of Mbarara City, confirmed that 525 land titles have recently been delivered to residents. “Initially, we received 800 land titles, and today we’ve received an additional 525, bringing the total to 1,325 titles processed out of 12,000 applicants. The remaining 900 titles are still being processed by the government,” Tumwesigire said, urging remaining beneficiaries to be patient.
He explained that each beneficiary contributed Shs 80,000 towards the processing of their land titles, with the government covering the remaining costs. Tumwesigire indicated that processing a land title typically requires between Shs 4 million and Shs 5 million.
“The government is continuing to issue more land titles, and once completed, we will develop a program to distribute the titles in a second batch,” he added.
Jackline Kankunda, Deputy Resident City Commissioner for Mbarara City North Division, encouraged beneficiaries to use their land titles for development, noting the prevalence of land disputes in the area.
She said: “As RDCs, we often receive complaints related to land issues,” Kankunda said, warning against the potential for domestic violence linked to land titles. There are cases where men acquire loans using land titles without informing their wives and children, leading to conflict.”
One of the beneficiaries who had his land titled appreciated government for funding the processing of the land titles, saying it is expensive. “I thank government for this title because it provided most of the money. For us we were asked to pay only Shs 80,000,” she said, adding that land grabbers now have no chance of tampering with her land.
Land is widely recognised as a pivotal element in Uganda’s economic and social transformation, reflected in the government’s ambition to enhance tenure security and systematically title all land by 2040.
https://thecooperator.news/land-grabbing-buliisa-residents-rejoice-after-arrest-of-tycoon/
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