Lands minister Nabakooba involved in Mpigi road crash

MPIGI - Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba has been involved in a road crash at Kibukuta swamp in Mpigi district while travelling to Rwampara district for an official ceremony to hand over government land titles to vulnerable people.

Kibukuta swamp is near the Jalia City one-stop centre on the Kampala-Masaka Highway.

“I have just had an accident with my team at Kibukuta swamp on my way to Rwampara for the official ceremony of handing over titles to the people of Rwampara,” the minister told this reporter in a WhatsApp message on Wednesday (April 1) and went offline.

The handover of the titles, which the minister was to preside over, was organised by the Uganda Land Commission.

By the time of filing this story, the full details of the incident had not yet been established.

Nabakooba told New Vision Online on Monday, March 30, 2026, that illegal land evictions were the biggest challenge they were facing.

“As part of resolving this issue of illegal land evictions, the Government issued certificates of occupancy to bibanja owners and has made sure that the tenants pay busuulu (an annual nominal ground rent paid by a Kibanja holder] to the landlords, and the landlords have equally given consent to encumber the rights of the tenants on their Mailo titles in the Land Registry,” she said.

She noted that where these certificates of occupancy have been issued, evictions have reduced significantly, as any search of the title in the Land Registry indicates that the land has tenants whose bibanja sizes are known and protected by the Government.

“The plan is to roll out this intervention to ensure that bibanja owners, too, acquire a Government document that protects their land interests,” Nabakooba said.

She added that many landlords have been complaining about the low rate of busuulu, but advised them to apply for funds under the Land Fund to enable the Government to buy such land.

“The National Resistance Movement Government prioritises bibanja holders because a significant number of the total population of the country are squatters. This programme under the Land Fund will continue until we address all these land conflicts in the country.”

“For those who have received titles, there should be no land fragmentation as guided by the President. They should only share what comes out of the land but not subdivide the land,” she urged the beneficiaries.

On April 2, 2026, she was scheduled to travel to Kikuube district to resolve issues surrounding Bugoma Central Forest Reserve.

On February 17, 2026, she held a stakeholders’ meeting on the forest reserve, where key issues were agreed upon. A team was set up to engage with encroachers as efforts continue towards a peaceful resolution for all stakeholders.