Uganda MPs urge full National Land Information System rollout to stop double titling

Uganda's Parliament debated a Committee on Lands report on 11 November 2026 that calls for the National Land Information System (NLIS) to be fully operationalised and for tighter supervision of land offices. The proposals aim to improve accountability and protect ownership rights.

The report follows oversight visits to six Ministry of Lands zonal offices: Mukono, Wakiso, Masaka, Jinja, Mbale and Soroti. It found that land officers' failure to exercise due diligence leads to double, multiple and overlapping titles. It cited a case in which a mailo title was issued in error and later cancelled. The courts then awarded the developer Shs50 billion in compensation, upheld by the Supreme Court. The committee also recommended cleaning up land records, investigating and prosecuting fraud, and improving staffing and infrastructure at zonal offices. It further recommended that registrars, surveyors and land officers be required to conduct boundary opening.

A second report found that the Lands Minister's nationwide suspension of Special Certificates of Title lacked sufficient justification and was not in accordance with the law. MPs proposed involving local council leaders and neighbours in verification, and amending Section 159 of the Registration of Titles Act to make culpable officers liable. One MP noted that some offices still run manual systems. The Speaker directed the ministry to give permanent posts to contract land officers.

Why it matters: Surveyors and registry staff in Uganda may face stricter boundary-opening duties and wider use of the digital land system. Double titling from manual records is a risk across the region, so the debate is a reference for other land-digitisation programmes.

Sources: Parliament of the Republic of Uganda via APO Group Africa Newsroom