The Land Probe Commission headed by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire delivered its final report to President Museveni at Statehouse Entebbe on Wednesday 29th. July 2019, this brought to an end the four-year implementation of this commission whose mandate was to review the effectiveness of law and processes of land acquisition, registration, administration, and management.
The key recommendation that emerged from this report was the need for all land in Uganda to be registered as this would minimize land disputes, enhance tenure security, create avenues for optimal land usage and ultimately result in economic growth. The commission also recommended the introduction of a customary freehold, by which a certificate of customary title shall be registered. Other recommendations that have been put forward by this report are the establishment of the Uganda Land Services Bureau (ULSB), this institution will be established as a result of the merging of the land administration institutions. This commission also proposed the introduction of a tax on idle land, that was to be levied on privately owned large tracts of land of half a square mile (320 acres) and this would be designed to drive the landowner to better utilize the land.
In order to address land disputes, the commission recommended that land and environmental courts are established while district land tribunals (DLT’s) are reinstated and would be presided over by an individual fit to be a magistrate. The commission also recommended formulation of lands ombudsman in charge of civil and criminal investigative, prosecutorial, injustice institutions to address land matters, it mentioned that this platform should be given special powers to prosecute and would be the forum of the first instance for eviction complaints and relief.
A national land bank was also recommended and it would operate under the Uganda Lands Services Bureau (ULSB) to acquire land prior to and in accordance to the development agenda submitted to the National Planning Authority (NPA). In regards to mineral discovery and extractives, the commission recommended that a strong legal framework is established to check the pervasive corruption and to protect the rights of he local communities that are impacted by these investments while safeguarding their livelihoods against land grabbing by powerful individuals in the sector.
