60 Soweto slum dwellers in Jinja city receive land titles

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A total of sixty slum dwellers from the Soweto settlement in Jinja city have officially received land titles from the Ministry of Local Government in a move aimed at improving land security and uplifting informal communities.

Presiding over the handover ceremony, local government minister Raphael Magyezi urged the beneficiaries to safeguard their newly acquired land and warned them against selling it.

“These titles are meant to give you security and a foundation for future development. Please do not be tempted to sell them because the government has given you this land so you can build a better life and not to lose it through quick deals,” he said.

He emphasised that the government will continue to monitor how the land is used and will not tolerate cases of beneficiaries selling or leasing their plots for short-term gain.

He said the ministry has also given them a period of two months before they can undertake any form of formal development, which will be guided by the Jinja city authorities.

Magyezi explained that the titles were issued as part of a broader government programme to formalise land tenure in informal settlements across urban areas, promoting social stability and economic development.

The ceremony took place on October 14, 2025, in the Soweto settlement in Masese parish, Southern Division, where the beneficiaries, who have lived on the land for decades without formal ownership, received their titles.

Jinja city clerk Moses Otimong said they are going to share a prototype of housing models that will suit the economic status of the area’s residents.

Otimong said issuing titles through the ministry protects the community and ensures security from land grabbers.

“Together with the line ministry, we are only ensuring community and land security from grabbers. It is a major challenge in Jinja city where greedy people tend to backdate documents for their benefit,” he noted.

He added that the government has begun by opening the boundaries and that the next stage will involve opening roads to ensure connectivity to other areas in the parish and division.

Charles Magumba, a commissioner from the ministry, said that out of the 87 people who were supposed to receive land titles, only 60 have done so after fulfilling the requirements, while the remaining 27 are still being processed.

Magumba said the main focus now is proper planning and development of the area because each landowner knows the boundaries of their plot.

“Those are not just titles; they will help you improve your livelihoods. When you hold them, remember you have a government that thinks about you. So work with the city authorities to develop your area,” commissioner Magumba said.

Jinja resident city commissioner Richard Gulume urged residents to value their titles and desist from seeking quick money by selling them off.

Gulume advised that if residents need loans, they can use the titles as collateral in banks or include them in their wills as a way of securing property for their children rather than losing it to relatives.

“Your titles are your wealth, you can use them to get bank loans while others can secure their children’s properties through including them in their wills,” he said.

Former lands commissioner and Cities Alliance consultant Samuel Mabala said they received a proposal from the then Jinja Municipal Council in 2010 to help slum dwellers access better services and acquire land ownership.

He said the project, which began in 2020, required each member to contribute sh350,000 through their savings groups.

He added that with this stage complete, the next phase will involve opening roads since Jinja city has a grader available for that purpose.

Mabala said the initiative is being implemented in partnership with ACTogether, the National Slum Dwellers Federation, and Makerere University, which conducted the baseline survey.

During the ceremony, some residents raised concerns about the closure of access roads to Soweto village.

Led by John Mutyaba, they said that although the project has helped slum dwellers acquire titles, city authorities have closed an access road from Soweto village to Tabingwa Road, which connects them to other villages and parishes.

Mutyaba said that after the road’s closure, the land was allocated to someone who has since built a wall blocking access.

“We have fought endless wars, once you talk about that road, at night people attack and beat you up, we need security to be provided,” he said.

He added that he has used the access road since his primary school days in 1990.

Swaibu Bogere Musisi said that since the road was closed off, he has reported the matter to several offices, including that of the RCC and the Anti-Corruption Unit, but no action has been taken.

In his closing remarks, the minister, who visited the site, directed RCC Gulume to properly investigate the allegations, saying that no one is above the law or allowed to violate the city’s physical plan.