In 2004, the URDT Lands Rights Office provided services to 2,056 persons who visited the center for legal and technical advice. Illegal occupancy, sale of land without consent and inheritance of titles were the most prevalent cases. URDT staff also built the capacity of local communities to address land rights issues by training local leaders throughout the district.
URDT's Land Rights programme works in partnership with the Ugandan Land Alliance and collaborates with the National and District Land Boards and tribunals that implement government policy.
Land Rights Office
URDT's Land Rights Office is an open-air hut that receives a line of clients every day. It provides information and conflict resolution services on land ownership and tenure matters to the poor people in the region, most of whom are squatters on their ancestral lands owned by absentee landlords. URDT also acts as an advocate and mediator on issues relating to land use and environmental protection.
Why Is There so Much Conflict over Land?
Kibaale is located in one of the infamous "lost counties." The ownership of land in these counties has been in dispute since 1887, when the counties were allocated from one kingdom to another by colonial administrators. In 1965, the Ugandan government tried to resolve the conflict through a referendum by giving the land back to the original kingdom, but unfortunately without the land titles. The Kibaale District consequently suffers from unresolved issues relating to absentee landlords and resettlement policies.
Another source of conflict relates to the status of women in Uganda. It is common for men to sell their wives' land without consent. In 1998, Uganda passed a Land Act that protects the right of women to own and have control of their land, but violations of this law are rampant.
Learn more about these programmes:
Appropriate Technologies
Human Rights
ICTs/Computer
KKCR Radio
Microcredit Fund
Sustainable Agriculture/Demo Farm