By Spy Uganda
Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has called for a three-month suspension of the issuance of special certificates of occupancy to allow the Government to review and streamline the process and curb the growing problem of double titling.
Nabakooba said the continued issuance of certificates without adequate verification was fuelling land disputes and creating opportunities for land grabbers to deprive legitimate owners of their property.
She made the remarks on Friday, August 14, 2026, during a meeting with lands ministry staff at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala.
The minister warned lands officers against issuing special certificates on land that already has registered ownership, saying officers who disregard established procedures could face arrest.
“You have slept on your duty on the issue of special certificates. When you continue issuing them, I will send the police, and they will arrest you,” Nabakooba warned.
She cited cases in Kyengera and Kabula, in Wakiso and Lyantonde districts respectively, where titles had reportedly been issued despite existing claims and registered titles on the same pieces of land.
“We need to sit and have a clear guideline on how to handle that issue,” she said, noting that many of the complaints were coming from the Buganda region.
Nabakooba said the issuance of special certificates on already registered land was also creating pressure on ministry leadership because affected landowners frequently seek intervention.
“I receive distress calls from my bosses. You are putting special titles on existing titles, which makes my work very hard,” she said.
The minister’s concerns come amid persistent complaints of land grabbing, overlapping titles and double titling, problems she said were undermining public confidence in Uganda’s land administration system.
Nabakooba also directed lands officers to clear the backlog of land transactions by December, questioning how the ministry could meet the target if some staff continued to stay away from work.
She said the ministry was receiving numerous complaints about officers who report for duty only once a week.
“You disappear a lot. Every time you give excuses. There are people who work for only one day a week. We get a lot of complaints from the public,” she said.
The minister further criticised poor customer care at lands offices, saying some officers shout at clients and create an intimidating environment that discourages members of the public from freely presenting their concerns.
She directed officials to improve their conduct and ensure that citizens seeking land services are treated with respect.
Nabakooba also ordered officials to remove brokers operating around Ministry Zonal Offices, accusing them of misleading members of the public and sometimes impersonating ministry officials to solicit money.
“Let’s try to get brokers out of our offices. They even start blackmailing our names, posing as officials from the ministry and taking money from people,” she said.
She directed ministry staff to wear name tags and official ministry shirts to enable members of the public to distinguish genuine officials from brokers.
The minister also directed technical officers to enter titles completed under the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification programme into the land information system and ensure the documents reach their intended beneficiaries.
She urged officials to engage contractors to provide outstanding data required to complete the programme.
“This is a World Bank loan, and we have to pay back the money, so let’s use it properly to finish the services they were asked for,” she said.
Nabakooba further urged technical officers to accompany ministers during field visits, saying their expertise was critical in providing technical guidance and helping Government understand challenges faced by communities.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Lands Ministry, Dr Emmanuel Mugunga, urged staff to embrace teamwork, accountability and respectful treatment of both colleagues and clients.
He warned that the Human Capital Management System would track staff attendance and that absenteeism would have consequences.
Housing State Minister Persis Namuganza urged ministry staff to work towards restoring public confidence in the lands sector, saying some members of the public had begun associating lands officials with land grabbing.
Lands State Minister Harriet Ntabaazi called for greater collaboration among officers and warned technical staff against behaving like “small gods” at their duty stations.
Ntabaazi identified land grabbing, overlapping titles, double titling and family conflicts among the major challenges facing Uganda’s land sector.
She also cautioned officers against soliciting money from clients, saying such practices damage the reputation of the ministry.
The ministers called for stronger accountability, adherence to proper procedures, improved customer care and teamwork as Government seeks to restore public confidence in Uganda’s land administration system.
