Kampala, Uganda: The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has launched a nationwide programme to identify, survey, register and digitally map all public land in Uganda in a major effort to protect government property from encroachment, fraudulent titling and ownership disputes.
The initiative, known as the Comprehensive Government Land Inventory (GLI), will be implemented in partnership with the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) to establish, for the first time, a single national database of all government-owned land.
Speaking during a media briefing at the Uganda Media Centre on Friday, the Minister of State for Lands, Harriet Ntabazi, said the programme marks a significant step towards strengthening land governance and safeguarding public assets across the country.
Ms Ntabazi explained that the inventory goes beyond land registration and is intended to ensure that land occupied by public institutions such as schools, hospitals, roads, administrative offices, security installations and other government facilities is properly identified, legally protected and preserved for future generations.
The minister noted that many public institutions continue to occupy land that has never been formally surveyed or registered, exposing government property to encroachment, fraudulent land transactions and prolonged ownership disputes that have delayed public projects and increased expenditure on compensation and litigation.
According to figures compiled by the Uganda Land Commission, government land accounts for approximately 23 per cent of Uganda’s total land area, but only 26.16 per cent has been formally titled, leaving a substantial portion vulnerable to illegal occupation and competing ownership claims.
Hon Ntabazi said the inventory will establish the location, size, legal status, current use and level of development of every parcel of government land while identifying land affected by encroachment, disputes or other risks.
She added that the exercise will cover land occupied by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, local governments, public schools, health facilities, police stations, military installations, prisons, roads, railway reserves, airports, forests, wetlands, national parks, public markets, water infrastructure and other strategic public assets.
The programme will be rolled out in phases, beginning with institutional preparations and consultations before progressing to the collection of existing land records, nationwide field verification, legal verification, surveying, titling and integration of all verified information into the National Land Information System.
Under the exercise, multidisciplinary teams comprising surveyors, land officers, physical planners and other technical experts will verify boundaries and engage local leaders, neighbouring landowners and communities to validate historical records and minimise disputes before land is formally registered.
Ntabazi clarified that the inventory is not a compulsory land acquisition exercise, a land redistribution programme or an attempt to interfere with legally owned private property.
“The Comprehensive Government Land Inventory is not intended to acquire privately owned land. It is not a compulsory land acquisition exercise. It is not a land redistribution programme. It is not intended to interfere with the rights of citizens who lawfully own private land,” she said.
She said the Uganda Land Commission will spearhead implementation of the programme alongside the Ministry of Lands, Ministry Zonal Offices, District Land Offices and local governments, while all Ministries, Departments and Agencies will be required to submit land records and support the verification exercise.
Local governments will also play a critical role by mobilising communities, providing historical records, participating in field verification and helping protect public land after it has been documented.
Ntabazi said the inventory will strengthen planning for infrastructure development, improve public asset management, reduce costly compensation claims and increase investor confidence by providing certainty over government-owned land earmarked for strategic projects.
She urged government institutions, cultural and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the public to support the programme, saying protecting government land is a shared responsibility.
“Protecting Government land is not the responsibility of one institution alone. It is a collective responsibility because these assets belong to all Ugandans,” she said.
The government says priority during implementation will be given to areas experiencing the greatest pressure from encroachment, locations earmarked for major public investments and areas prone to ownership disputes, with regular updates to be provided as the programme progresses.
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