By Nasser Kayanja

KAMPALA, Uganda — The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has urged the Buganda Kingdom to embrace the National Land Policy and recent amendments aimed at addressing challenges and anomalies in land management.

Nabakooba made the remarks while addressing members of the Buganda Lukiiko during a two-day retreat at Mutesa I Royal University in Kakeeka, Mengo, Kampala.

She urged the Kingdom to take a leading role in identifying absentee landlords, warning that the absence of genuine landowners has created opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to masquerade as landlords and attempt to grab land.

Nabakooba encouraged Buganda leaders to help identify legitimate landlords and support efforts to regularise land ownership, including facilitating the issuance of land titles to occupants without proper documentation where they qualify under the law.

She also appealed to Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, to discourage excessive fragmentation of land into small plots, particularly residential plots measuring as small as 20 by 30 feet.

According to Nabakooba, uncontrolled land fragmentation is undermining commercial agriculture and limiting opportunities for meaningful investment.

She said Buganda Kingdom has an important role to play in promoting responsible land use and supporting government efforts to improve land administration.

However, Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga, who attended the retreat, highlighted what he described as major challenges affecting land management in Uganda.

Mayiga criticised some officials within the Ministry of Lands, arguing that their conduct contributes to disputes and disorder in land administration.

He also raised concerns about the handling of land-related cases by the police and the judiciary, saying some officers lack adequate investigative skills and expertise in dealing with complex land matters.

Mayiga called for stronger institutional capacity and improved coordination among government agencies responsible for land administration and dispute resolution.

The two-day retreat provided an opportunity for Buganda Kingdom leaders and government officials to discuss land management challenges, policy reforms and possible solutions to land-related disputes affecting communities in the kingdom and the country at large.