Ministry summons 260 over land titles in forests
"Our appeal to the public is for you to cross-check to ensure the land is genuine."He explained that the illegal titling in reserve land is a result of unscrupulous people at area land committees at districts.
In March, the ministry cancelled 156 land titles that were illegally issued in gazetted forest reserves across Mukono, Wakiso, Mpigi, and Masindi districts.
The lands ministry has summoned over 260 land title holders to answer for alleged encroachment on gazetted forest reserves in central Uganda.
Affected proprietors are required to appear before the ministry’s Land Registration Department to defend their ownership claims over a disputed total of 11,825 acres.
In a public notice dated August 31, 2026, Commissioner for Land Registration Baker Mugaino invokes Section 88 of the Land Act and the Registration of Titles Act to initiate investigations into the disputed titles.
Mugaino says the hearings are being conducted to provide an opportunity for affected title holders and other interested persons to present information, documents, evidence and any other relevant submissions concerning the respective land titles and their location in relation to the Forest Reserves.
“You are hereby invited for a public hearing in respect of this matter on the mentioned dates at the Mukono Ministry Zonal Office where your objections, if any, will be heard,” says the summons dated August 31, 2026.
The public hearings are scheduled to run from October 19 to mid-November 2026 at the Ministry’s Zonal Office in Mukono.
Affected title holders and interested parties have been directed to present their land titles, supporting documents, and evidence to substantiate their claims. Those contesting the titles have also been invited to submit formal objections.
The notice emphasises that the hearings aim to establish how the titles were acquired and whether they were lawfully registered.
The ministry’s notice lists hundreds of land blocks and plots allegedly overlapping with several protected forests across Kyaggwe, Buvuma, and Bugerere counties (see details inside the September 7, 2026, New Vision print edition Pages 25-26).
Affected areas include the Mabira Central Forest Reserve (Kyaggwe Block 283); Namyoya, Kifu, and Nabugalo Central Forest Reserves (Kyaggwe Block 535); and Bwebereza, Kitambwa, and Namagombe Central Forest Reserves (Kyaggwe Blocks 494 and 558).
Other listed forests include Bega Crown, Kafumbi, Luleka, Kizinkuba, and Kyeri in various Kyaggwe blocks; Bukaibale Forest in Buvuma Blocks 2 and 10; and Nazigo and Bajo forests in Bugerere Blocks 124, 159, and 160.
The notice names individuals, estate administrators, and several companies as proprietors of the disputed titles. Among the listed companies are Victorious Car Bond Ltd, Quality Plastics U Ltd, The Eight Investment Co. Limited, Kapkwata Woods Ltd, Kiira Motors Corporation, and Newton Property Developers Limited.
When contacted for comment, Mugaino declined to speak on the development. “Please call me tomorrow. I am not at my desk. It is not proper for me to comment,” he said.
Lands ministry spokesperson Dennis Obbo acknowledged the summons, noting that they are in line with the 2014 Cabinet directive that outlaw acquisition of land titles in reserve areas.
He said since the directive, over 500 land titles have been listed for cancellation.
“Sometimes, even after a land title has been cancelled, some individuals keep the documents and present them as genuine titles. They then go ahead and defraud unsuspecting buyers,” he said.
"Our appeal to the public is for you to cross-check to ensure the land is genuine."
He explained that the illegal titling in reserve land is a result of unscrupulous people at area land committees at districts.
The current exercise comes amid concern over the illegal acquisition and development of land in protected areas, particularly forests, wetlands, and other government-reserved land.
Legally, Section 43 of the Land Act ties land use compliance directly to statutes like the Uganda Wildlife Act and the National Environment Act.
This means any use of reserve land must conform to conservation mandates rather than private title claims.
In March, the ministry cancelled 156 land titles that were illegally issued in gazetted forest reserves across Mukono, Wakiso, Mpigi, and Masindi districts.
This followed a May 2019 cancellation of over 210 certificates of title that were erroneously or fraudulently issued in forest reserves within Wakiso, Mukono, and Kayunga districts.
Those cancellations came barely two months after a commission of inquiry into land matters halted the compensation of over sh40b to 160 title holders who had claims in wetlands and forest reserves, including Namanve, Mugomba Central Forest Reserve, and Gunda Local Forest Reserve, several of which have been subject to ongoing land probes.