Land Law Reform in Uganda

This paper addresses the present composition of land laws in Uganda and the need for reform. It does not particularly provide a critique on each of the land law legislations neither does it particularly focus on case law principles on the same, a venture which is quite lengthy, to say the least. It however attempts to highlight the pertinent concerns on the most notorious provisions under some of the prevalent land law legislations which can and should be simplified for the convenience of the public. It also provides a doorway for new legislations and regulations that can be harmonized within the present land laws with a view of bringing the general land law up to date with the present concerns. In that vein, it looks into the present controversy surrounding the Land Amendment Bill, 2007. The object of this Bill is essentially to enhance the rights and interests of lawful and bona fide occupants on registered land. The paper thus poses critical views on the effects such protection accords on other parties on the same land. The Paper thus serves the general purpose of convincing on the need to harmonize or replace archaic and sometimes discordant land sector laws, so as to bring them in line with the new legal order and thus to implement the new constitutional provisions for protection of land and property rights.