Harriet Ntabazi, Minister of State for LandsThe Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and Uganda Land Commission have embarked on the exercise of developing a Comprehensive Government Land Inventory (GLI), Harriet Ntabazi, Minister of State for Lands has said.Addressing the media at Uganda Media Centre on 3rd July 2026, Ntabazi said the GLI is a national programme that will fundamentally transform the way Government identifies, documents, secures and manages Government land across the Country.She said that despite the immense value of these public assets, only a small proportion has been formally titled and comprehensively documented. “According to information compiled by the Uganda Land Commission, Government land represents approximately 23 per cent of Uganda’s total land area, yet only about 26.16 per cent has been formally titled. This leaves a substantial proportion of Government land vulnerable to encroachment, fraudulent transactions and ownership disputes,” the Minister said.She added that Government land constitutes a significant proportion of Uganda’s total land area and supports virtually every sector of national development. It includes land occupied by Ministries, Departments and Agencies; Local Governments; public schools; health facilities; security institutions; road reserves; railway corridors; forests; wetlands; national parks; public utilities and other strategic installations.The Minister added that Government land records remain scattered across different institutions.“Some records exist at the Uganda Land Commission, others at the Ministry, some within Local Governments, and many within individual Ministries, Departments and Agencies. In certain cases, records are incomplete, outdated or inconsistent. This fragmentation makes it difficult to establish a single, reliable picture of Government land across the Country.The consequence of this is that Government often spends valuable time and resources verifying ownership of land that should already be clearly documented and protected. This is neither efficient nor sustainable,” Ntabazi said.The Minister noted that Government has witnessed increasing cases of encroachment, illegal occupation and fraudulent acquisition of Government/public land.“In many cases, these challenges are not the result of deliberate wrongdoing by public institutions but rather the consequence of historical gaps in documentation,” she said, adding: “…The Comprehensive Government Land Inventory has therefore been conceived as a long-term national solution to these challenges.”She explained that the Comprehensive Government Land Inventory represents a shift from responding to land disputes after they arise to preventing them through proper planning, accurate documentation and effective management.“Rather than waiting until a school is threatened by encroachment, a health facility becomes the subject of litigation or a road reserve is illegally occupied, Government intends to establish, in advance, an accurate and verified record of every parcel of Government land. This is a preventive approach to public asset management. It is also an investment in good governance,” she said.She said the Programme is not simply about issuing land titles.“It is about creating a complete picture of Government land across the country. For every parcel of Government land, Government intends to establish its location, size, legal status, current use, level of development, occupancy, and whether it is affected by encroachment, disputes or other risks,” she said, adding: “The inventory will cover land under the custody of the Uganda Land Commission, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Local Governments and other public institutions. This includes land occupied by schools, health facilities, administrative offices, police stations, military installations, prisons, roads, railway reserves, airports, forests, wetlands, national parks, public markets, water installations and other public utilities. By bringing this information together in one integrated system, Government will strengthen the protection of public land while improving planning and coordination across institutions.”The Minister said where questions arise regarding ownership, due process will be followed, and all actions will be guided by the Constitution and the applicable laws of Uganda.“…all verified information will be integrated into the National Land Information System. This will establish a secure, geo-referenced and continuously updated digital register of Government land that can be accessed for planning, monitoring and decision-making,” the Minister said.The post Unprotected: 77% of Uganda’s Govt Land Left Un-Titled and Vulnerable To Encroachment appeared first on Business Focus.