Lands minister Judith Nabakooba wants the issuance of certificates of occupancy, which act as land titles, halted for three months to allow the Government to review and streamline the process and curb double titling.
She said the continued issuance of the certificates without adequate verification was fuelling land disputes and creating opportunities for land grabbers to deprive legitimate owners of their property.
She made the remarks on August 14, 2026, during a lands staff meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala.
The minister warned lands officers against issuing special certificates for land that already has registered ownership, saying those who disregard the procedures could face arrest.
“You have slept on your duty on the issue of special certificates. When you continue issuing them, I will send the police, and they will arrest you.”
Nabakooba cited cases in Kyengera and Kabula, in Wakiso and Lyantonde districts respectively, where the titles had reportedly been issued despite existing claims and titles on the same land.
“We need to sit and have a clear guideline on how to handle that issue,” she said, adding that many of the reported cases were coming from the Buganda region.
She said the creation of special titles on already registered land was also placing pressure on ministry leadership, as affected people frequently seek intervention.
“I receive distress calls from my bosses. You are putting special titles on existing titles, which makes my work very hard,” she said.
The minister’s concerns come amid persistent complaints about land grabbing, overlapping titles and double titling, which she said undermine public confidence in the country’s land administration system.
Nabakooba urged lands officials to take responsibility for the services they provide and follow proper procedures when handling land transactions.
She also directed lands officers to clear the backlog of land transactions by December, questioning how officials who frequently absent themselves from duty would meet the deadline.
She said the ministry continues to receive complaints about officers who report to work only once a week.
“You disappear a lot. Every time you give excuses. There are people who work for only one day a week. We get a lot of complaints from the public,” she said.
The minister also criticised poor customer care, saying some officers shout at clients and create an intimidating environment that discourages people from freely presenting their land-related concerns.
She further directed officials to remove brokers operating around Ministry Zonal Offices, accusing them of misleading clients and sometimes posing as ministry officials to solicit money.
“Let’s try to get brokers out of our offices. They even start blackmailing our names, posing as officials from the ministry and taking money from people,” she said.
Nabakooba also directed staff to wear name tags and ministry shirts to help members of the public distinguish genuine ministry employees from brokers.
The technical officers were also directed to enter titles completed under the Systematic Land Adjudication and Certification programme into the land information system and ensure they are distributed to the intended beneficiaries.
The minister appealed to officials to engage contractors to provide outstanding data needed to complete the programme.
“This is a World Bank loan, and we have to pay back the money, so let’s use it properly to finish the services they were asked for,” she said.
Nabakooba also urged technical officers to accompany ministers during field visits, saying their expertise is necessary to provide technical guidance and help the Government understand challenges faced by communities.
What others said
Acting permanent secretary in the lands ministry Dr Emmanuel Mugunga urged staff to embrace teamwork, accountability and respectful treatment of colleagues and clients.
He warned that the Human Capital Management System would track staff attendance and that absenteeism would have consequences.
Housing state minister Persis Namuganza urged staff to restore public confidence in the ministry, saying some members of the public now associate lands officials with land grabbing.
Lands state minister Harriet Ntabaazi called for greater collaboration among officers and warned technical staff against treating themselves as “small gods” at their duty stations.
Ntabaazi said land grabbing, overlapping titles, double titling and family conflicts remain among the major challenges facing the lands sector.
She also cautioned officers against soliciting money from clients, saying such practices damage the ministry’s reputation.
The ministers called for stronger accountability, adherence to proper procedures and improved teamwork to restore public confidence in land administration.
