Govt unveils five-year strategic plan to transform land use

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The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD) has launched its new five-year Strategic Plan (FY 2025/26–2029/30), casting it as a landmark effort to transform land administration, urban development and housing delivery across Uganda. 

The December 9, 2025, launch event at Nsambya was presided over by minister Judith Nabakooba, who described the roadmap as key to unlocking the country’s socio-economic potential under the broader national development agenda.

“We commit to securing land tenure, developing vibrant cities, and delivering decent housing for all Ugandans,” Nabakooba said, calling the plan a definitive step towards turning land into a catalyst for national transformation.

According to the strategic plan, the ministry aims to achieve a sweeping set of reforms. Among recent achievements cited in the plan is the establishment and operationalisation of 22 Ministry Zonal Offices that decentralise land services; the rollout of the national Land Information System (LIS) across those offices; demarcation and surveying of 66,148 land parcels in five districts under the ongoing systematic titling programme; registration of 761,319 land transactions well above the previous target of 437,360; and the scanning and digitisation of 820,925 land documents, surpassing the planned 762,540.

The plan frames its priorities around strengthening land administration systems, improving integrated land-use planning in urban and rural settings, cultivating resilient and productive urban environments, expanding affordable housing delivery, and reinforcing policy, legal and institutional frameworks.

To give concrete impetus, the ministry also unveiled a new set of Service Delivery Standards (SDS) setting targets such as processing freehold or leasehold title applications at zonal offices within 10 working days, mortgage registrations within three working days, and public requests or queries responded to within three to five working days. The SDS, officials say, are intended to cut bureaucratic delays, curb corruption, and deliver predictable, transparent service to citizens.

But the launch comes against a backdrop of persistent challenges. As recently as 2025, the ministry reported that tens of thousands of freehold titles were being handed out under the second phase of the nationwide titling programme. For example, 44,425 titles were distributed to beneficiaries across 13 districts.

Meanwhile, earlier in the year, the ministry announced a clean-up of fraudulent and overlapping land titles: in one pilot area alone, 1,237 illicit titles were cancelled after verification using blockchain and AI technology.

For millions of Ugandans, especially those in rural or underserved communities, these reforms signal a potentially historic shift. Secure, documented land ownership can unlock access to credit, protect families from eviction, and lay the foundation for organised urban growth and affordable housing.

As Nabakooba emphasised, this is more than bureaucracy; it is about dignity, opportunity, and equitable development.

Still, the true test will be in implementation. The Ministry will need not just technical systems, but sustained financing, political will, and community engagement to turn the promises on paper into real-world change.