Government of Uganda with support from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) through its Land Governance Unit have convened and reviewed the third Draft of the Revised National Land Policy (NLP) that will at next stage be adopted and validated by the Cabinet of the Government of Uganda.
The review meeting comes on the heels of the recently concluded regional land policy consultative meetings that were supported by IGAD and other Partners including Responsible Land Policy Uganda (RELAPU) GIZ.
The country regional consultations were conducted in the Central, Eastern, Northern, Western, WestNile, and South western parts of Uganda and attended by District Political leaders, Chief Administrative Officers, District and City Land Board members, District Technical staff from all the Land Management Institutions, Traditional and Cultural leaders as well as land experts from National Land Policy Secretariat, National Land Policy Consultants and IGAD Secretariat.
The aim was to gather and consolidate views, inputs and recommendations that will inform the 3rd and final Draft of Uganda National Land Policy as well as to approve the multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary NLP Review Working Group.
The Working Group comprises of Members from Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the land, natural resource and other sectors working closely with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development; Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in the land sector, academia, private sector, and individual experts in the land sector.
During the Opening Session, the IGAD Head of Mission and Gender and Land Expert Ms. Joselyn Bigirwa in her welcoming remarks brought to light that IGAD has been supporting and continues to support Member States to foster consensus and convergence of national land policies around fundamental values and principles of economic growth, equity, good governance, and sustainable management of the environment.
“IGAD supported the regional consultations on the Uganda’s National Land Policy in four regions to ensure that the formulation process is participatory and inclusive of all stakeholders. This national consultative meeting is intended to discuss and adopt views from regional consultations. And it is my expectation that from this meeting, we will have clear next steps and roadmap that will spearhead the finalization of the National Land Policy” Ms. Bigirwa added.
The technical meeting was officiated by Ms. Naome Kabanda, Director Land Management at Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development who commended the team for marking an important milestone in the review of the National Land Policy 2024 (NLP) reflecting the significant efforts made through nationwide consultations which offered an invaluable platform for gathering diverse insights from stakeholders across Uganda, and how their input enriched the 3rd draft with key considerations on tenure security, land governance, and sustainable land use practices, as well as solutions to address persistent challenges such as disputes, evictions, inter-border boundaries and overlapping rights to mention but a few.
“We will also deliberate on the Costed National Land Policy Implementation Action Plan (NLP-IAP) which is a vital component that outlines the financial and institutional requirements necessary to operationalize the policy effectively ensuring that the policy is not just a document of aspirations but a practical roadmap for implementation, addressing the needs of all Ugandans while safeguarding our land resources for future generations through collective expertise and insights that will play a critical role in refining both the policy and its implementation framework” Ms. Kabanda added.
Ms. Kabanda urged the team to remain focused on creating a policy that is inclusive, equitable, and transformative—one that empowers Ugandans, promotes sustainable development, and positions the land sector as Uganda’s key driver of national growth.
Also at the meeting was representation from the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development and Kenya National Land Commission of the Republic of Kenya; attending to share experiences from their ongoing process of reviewing their National Land Policy of 2019 as well as learn and be able to make input to the 3rd draft of the Revised Uganda’s National Land Policy.
