World Bank boosts access to land titles
The World Bank in partnership with the government of Uganda have intensified the procurement of free land titles to ensure that people get security of tenure for their lands so that they can use them to secure bank loans but also curbing down land conflicts.
Surveyors from the Systematic Land Adjudication And Certification (SLAAC) a World Bank funded project are currently surveying land in Sheema, Ibanda and Kikuube district which were categorized under Lot 5 to benefit from free tittles.
Land grabbing is one of the phenomenon in Uganda that has seen a spike in cases of forced displacements, evictions and sometimes deaths.
Reports indicate that cases of land conflicts take a majority share in Ugandan courts all emanating from overlapping or lack of titles, forged wills among many others.
"Under the law, the one who holds the title is the one who owns that land. So when people have titles it reduces the levels of land grabbing and related cases in our communities," Mark Ndahagyire, registrar of titles at the Ministry of Lands, said.
To curb down cases related to land conflicts, the world bank in partnership with government are intensifying the procurement of free land titles to citizens to ensure security for their lands.
"We're undertaking this project to ensure that people get the security of tenure for their land such that they can use same titles to acquire say bank loans or other developments," Ndahagyire added.
Surveyors from the World Bank funded project the Systematic Land Adjudication And Certification (SLAAC) are currently undertaking demarcation and gathering information from locals in districts of Sheema, Ibanda and Kikuube all aiming at providing them titles.
I'm Sheema Municipality, Sheema District, two divisions of Kashozi and Kashozi have been earmarked to receive 100,000 tittles.
"We have had enough mobilization and consultative meetings with the locals and leaders," said Herbert Ahimbisibwe, a contractor with NESCIOGLU.
"We are now going into trainings thereafter after do the physical planning surveys and then we climax with surveys of persons as we embark on title processing."
Leaders have largely welcomed this project with optimism that cases of land grabbing, spate of murders, forceful evictions and hatred will now cease.
"I can tell you that we are extremely happy with government. If we have a peaceful society that means development. Land grabbers should now look for where to hide but not Sheema Municipality," Mr Abel Kahara, the mayor of Sheema Municipality, said.
Acquiring an individual land title in Uganda cost between Shs2.5m and Shs3m but each of the beneficiaries under this project will pay Shs85,000 of which Shs20,000 will go to the district, Shs15,000 to the Ministry of Lands zonal offices and Shs50,000 to the ministry proper.
"This is not a conditional charge that when you don't pay this money, you won't receive your title No. This money can be paid even after securing a title," Ahimbisibwe said.
"However government will slap an 'encumbrance' charge on the title such that if you're to use this title may be to secure a bank loan, that money can be deducted."
This contractor is expected to deliver people's titles within 6 months before government enrolls the same project into other districts across the country.
