Government set to register 2.5 million land titles

Minister of Land Daudi Migereko (R) talks to the ministry’s consultants Gavin Adlington (C) and Ian Corker (L) at the opening of a workshop on implementation of the 2015/16 – 2018/19 national land policy workshop at Hotel Africana March 30, 2016. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA 

Kampala. Government has embarked on an ambitious five-year plan to register more than 2.5 million land titles, with majority belonging to women.
According to Lands minister Daudi Migereko, the move is to add value to land owned by residents in rural areas.
“We only have 500,000 land titles countrywide but in the next five years, we intend to have 3,000,000 land titles. There are no records of how much land women own but our target is to have 1,000,000 land titles for our mothers and sisters,” he said.

Speaking at the opening of a workshop on implementation of the 2015/16 – 2018/19 National Land Policy, the minister also said government expects to raise more revenue in the five-year period.
“We have been earning Shs102 billion in stamp duty and other fees annually but in the new arrangement, we expect Shs306 billion,” Mr Migereko said.
“The number of surveyors is now at 78, it is to go up to 700 while the 10 pieces of communal land registered also increased to 700. Land registration has been taking 30 days but we want to bring it down to one day.”

Lands ministry lead consultant Gavin Adlington said in a recent research many people in the countryside do not know who to approach to register their land.
“There is a need for the private sector to be involved for efficiency in the registration process,” he said.
Permanent Secretary Gabindadde Musoke said there is a need to create an autonomous authority to handle land matters.
“It was wrong to decentralise land registration exercise. It is against the Constitution that indicates that land registration is supposed to be at the centre,” he added.