Land ministry launches 9th National Land Awareness Week in Elgon region
Activities will take place in the districts of Sironko, Mbale City, Kween, Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, Bududa, and Manafwa
MBALE CITY, August 27, 2025 –The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development [MoLHUD] has launched the 9th Annual National Land Awareness Week [LAW] 2025 in the densely populated Elgon region [Bugisu and Sebei] under the theme: “Promoting Land Rights and Sustainable Land Use for Inclusive and Sustainable Development.”
The programme began days ago with a debriefing meeting at Mbale City Council Hall to harmonise the week’s roadmap.
According to Moses Onen, Programme Manager at PELUM Uganda, activities will include disseminating information on land laws, offering free counseling and legal guidance to communities, and creating opportunities for local governments to engage directly with citizens on land-related issues.
The week will also consolidate regional demands through a joint council meeting involving local leaders, partners, and ministry officials. In addition, the Act Together Team will issue 1,055 land titles to beneficiaries.
Activities will take place in the districts of Sironko, Mbale City, Kween, Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, Bududa, and Manafwa. These include community dialogues, legal aid clinics, radio talk shows, and tree planting drives.
This debrief sets the pace for a week dedicated to advancing land rights, promoting sustainable land use, and fostering climate justice.
For instance, in Manafwa district, community members raised concerns about land grabbing by government officials, largely due to ignorance about land rights. Many also admitted they lacked knowledge on how to make a will, where to seek help, or how to register their land.
In Mbale City, residents voiced grievances about unregulated perimeter wall lengths, land grabbing by wealthy individuals using their influence, inadequate compensation during road construction projects, and frustrations with delays and bureaucracy in obtaining building permits from city planners.
The week-long campaign continues with legal guidance, community dialogues, and public awareness drives aimed at addressing these pressing issues and empowering communities to defend their land rights.
Land conflicts in the Elgon region which are complex, and rooted in historical issues like colonial land policies, post-colonial government actions, and Mount Elgon National Park boundary changes which created landless people. These disputes are exacerbated by environmental factors such as climate-induced displacement and natural resource scarcity, plus social factors like poverty, population growth, and weak local governance.
Resulting conflicts involve encroachment on protected areas, clashes over administrative boundaries, and tensions between communities and the state, leading to displacement, violence, and human rights abuses.
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