MPs call for prosecution of individuals involved in land title forgery
“The committee recommends strengthening the national land information system, cleaning up land records, investigating and prosecuting those involved in land fraud, improving staffing and infrastructure at MZO’s and enforcing physical planning and environmental protection laws,” Rugumayo stated.
MPs also called for the full operationalisation of key digital systems and closer supervision of land offices to strengthen accountability, protect land ownership rights and restore public confidence in land administration. (Credit: Maria Wamala)
KAMPALA - Lawmakers have called for the prosecution of individuals involved in the forgery of land titles.
The recommendation is contained in a report tabled in Parliament on November 5, 2026, by the Land Committee chairperson, Edson Rugumayo (Ntoroko County, NRM).
The report followed oversight visits to the National Land Information Centre and several Ministerial Zonal Offices (MZOs), including Wakiso-Busiro, Masaka, Jinja, Mbale and Soroti, to investigate cases of double or overlapping land titling.
During the inspections, the committee established that 2,876 overlapping titles had been identified in Mukono district, alongside 1,068 freehold titles issued over the Kabaka's Mailo land and 163 suspected fraudulent titles.
In Wakiso-Busiro, MPs discovered that 300 land titles had been forged, while in Masaka, 1,435 land transfers had been rejected due to non-payment of stamp duty.
“The committee recommends strengthening the national land information system, cleaning up land records, investigating and prosecuting those involved in land fraud, improving staffing and infrastructure at MZO’s and enforcing physical planning and environmental protection laws,” Rugumayo stated.
MPs also called for the full operationalisation of key digital systems and closer supervision of land offices to strengthen accountability, protect land ownership rights and restore public confidence in land administration.
MPs raise concerns
The concerns were raised during a spot check at the Wakiso-Busiro Ministerial Zonal Office on August 24, 2026.
“Why do those behind the forged titles still come to this very office? I have even observed that these forged titles went ahead and paid Government revenue through banks and obtained receipts. If this is not connivance between yourselves and Wakiso Police, why does the number continue to accumulate?” Kazoora probed.
Geodfrey Wanyoto (Budadiri West, NRM) urged officials to reject brokers and questioned why police were releasing people reported over alleged land fraud.
“I would implore you to please say no to brokers. We had that you have discovered over 300 cases of fraud, all of them were reported to Police. Police is just here. We want to find out why police releases those people. Because when they report, and tomorrow the man comes out, I think they are the ones who come back and forge titles. First of all, Mr Registrar, do you follow those cases or for you, when you report to police, that’s all?”
He also asked officials to account for a land title that had reportedly been cancelled but had not been returned to its owner.
“Before, I sit down, there is a land title which you people cancelled, but it has never gone back to the owner, and it is missing. I want you to first tell me the status of this title. It is on Block 71 Plot 656,” he added.
Security officials clash over forged-title cases
Earlier, Aduma and Wamala had assured MPs that their office arrested anyone who submitted forged titles, handed them over to police and recorded statements as complainants.
“My registrars inform me that they report every title that we cancel. They tell me that they arrest because we have a police officer here. We arrest that very person, record a statement and hand over to Police. That’s what we do,” Aduma stated.
However, Kibikke denied that police had handled such a large number of cases.
“We don’t have all those cases (300) at police. But we have some. Some have gone to court, and we are still investigating others. Because those would have been exhibits the other side. They would have been at Police because you cannot say that they are at Police when they are this side,” he fired back.
Wamala's explanation prompted further questions from Land Committee chairperson Rugumayo, who questioned why only 48 exhibits had been submitted since 2022, compared with the more than 300 cases reportedly discovered.
In response, Wamala explained that prosecutorial powers were vested in the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and that his role ended with reporting the cases.
“The kind of follow-up that we do is that, once we have arrested the person, we have written our complaint and statement as complainants, then we have to wait for the police to call upon us as witnesses,” he elaborated.
Rugumayo subsequently ordered the retrieval of records for all the cases, saying the committee also wanted to establish why police had not acted on them.
“The person of police, please, I need copies, not the actual book. Photocopy and present copies of those records; we are going to follow up with those cases,” Rugumayo directed.