December 4, 2024 (Entebbe) Uganda: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) through its Land Governance Unit in coordination with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development of the Republic of Uganda and the Uganda Land Board Commission are convening to consider the third Draft of the Revised National Land Policy (NLP) for the Republic of Uganda that will at a later date be adopted and validated by the Cabinet of the Government of Uganda.
The meeting comes on the heels of the recently concluded regional land policy consultative meetings that were supported by IGAD and Responsible Land Policy Uganda (RELAPU) GIZ, an initiative that bridges gaps between policy and implementation. The regional consultations were conducted in the Central, Eastern, Western and Southwestern parts of Uganda and attended by District Council leaders, Chief Administrative Officers, District and City Land Board members, District Technical staff, Area Land Committees as well as land experts from National Land Policy Secretariat, National Land Policy Consultants and IGAD Secretariat with the aim of gathering and consolidating views, inputs and recommendations that have adequately informed 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.
The IGAD Land Governance Program in its 2nd phase is implementing with the support from Swedish Embassy-Ethiopia towards “Realizing transnational land governance in the IGAD region through capacity development on innovations in land administration, land use and management, strengthening gender equality and youth empowerment”
Background
- An evaluation study was commissioned by Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development after 10 years of the implementation of the National Land Policy (NLP) of 2013 to review its performance based on objectives, outcomes, and results stated in the Monitoring and Evaluation framework. The study examined the policy achievements, performance gaps, challenges, and emerging issues taking into consideration, the policy design, costs, efficiency as well as unintended effects.
- As a result, recommendations from the National Land Policy Platform of 2023 were to review the NLP 2013 and address emerging issues in the national, regional and international agenda such as; inequity in access to land; climate change; human rights land rights for vulnerable peoples; transboundary resources; land justice to mention but a few that continue to persist and affect productive sectors. The review process requires redefining the land question, reframing issues, reconsideration of approaches and strategies, as well as rethinking proposed solutions to align with the growth and development needs of Uganda calling for a consolidated momentum for the reforms in the land sector to ensure efficiency, equitable and optimal utilization and management of Uganda’s land resources for poverty reduction, wealth creation and overall socio-economic development in Uganda.
