Over 1,000 land titles cancelled in Mukono

MUKONO - Government, through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, has cancelled a total of 1,237 overlapping land titles in Mukono Municipality.

It has since been established that these titles had been registered alongside pre‑existing mailo land titles from the colonial era, leading to confusion and duplication.

In 2022, the ministry launched a pilot project in Mukono Municipality (Kyaggwe Division) to clean up the land register.

At a press conference on Friday, June 20, Minister of Lands Judith Nabakooba announced that the cancellations occurred on blocks 190, 193, and 530 in Kyaggwe.

“In some areas, such as Mukono, town blocks were made to sit on top of original mailo blocks when urban centres were being established in colonial times in the 1950s. Town blocks were demarcated disregarding the original blocks, which led to the creation of overlapping titles, hence an error in the land register,” Nabakooba explained.

She added that the overlapping titles were being exploited by fraudsters targeting both the public and financial institutions.

In response, the Lands Ministry halted all transactions on these blocks and initiated a cleanup to correct the land register.

“While cleaning up, none of the affected landowners challenged the cancellation, a strong sign that these titles were invalid. These dormant titles were causing systemic errors and risks of further overlaps. By removing them, legitimate landowners now clearly hold and occupy their land legally,” she said.

Most of these issues were concentrated in urban areas where, during rapid development, original land records were often ignored, causing overlaps and boundary disputes.

New blockchain, AI-based system to stop fraud

The ministry’s new blockchain-based system, enhanced with artificial intelligence, is designed to produce a tamper‑proof land register.

Johnson Bigiira, senior registrar of titles at the ministry, noted that digitisation has helped resolve problems inherited from the manual era.

“Enhancing the digital system with AI based on the blockchain has helped us clear out the register, and we are working in teams to continue the work in other areas,” Bigiira mentioned.

Nabakooba further clarified that several ministries, including ICT, Lands, Finance, and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), are collaborating on a unified implementation strategy.

This effort is led by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, supported by technical teams from all involved agencies. Once consensus is reached on the rollout plan, implementation will begin immediately.

“Tech becomes outdated quickly, the systems used 10–15 years ago are no longer suitable. That’s why many countries are now adopting blockchain and artificial intelligence. These technologies bring advanced security features and improve operational effectiveness and efficiency,” she explained.

The pilot phase in Mukono will serve as the model for a broader national rollout. Public outreach has already commenced to educate citizens on these new technological improvements.

Background

Uganda operates under a land tenure framework, comprising mailo, freehold, leasehold, and customary systems, dating back to the colonial era when inconsistent surveying led to overlapping rights and rising land fraud.

Over the past decade, land-related court cases, including title disputes, have consistently constituted around 10% of national court caseloads, underscoring the systemic nature of the problem.

Since at least 2010, the Ministry of Lands has been digitising Uganda’s land registry with financial and technical support from international partners like Thomson Reuters and the World Bank.

However, legacy manual records, often inaccurate or poorly authenticated, have remained vulnerable to manipulation and fraud, highlighting the need for more secure and transparent systems.

Globally, blockchain-backed land registries are gaining traction. This technology enhances data integrity through its undisputable structure and the use of smart contracts, helping ensure that only authorised owners can execute land transactions.

In Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), digital transformation, including land-sector modernisation, is a priority. This new blockchain-AI initiative aligns with national goals to enhance land governance, reduce corruption, and stimulate economic development