Uganda suspends special land title issuance to investigate fraud

Uganda's Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, has announced a three-month suspension on the issuance of Special Certificates of Title. The decision follows increasing reports of fraud, including double titling, overlapping land interests, and the manipulation of succession processes.

Under the Registration of Titles Act, these certificates are typically issued when an original duplicate title is lost, destroyed, or unusable, following a 30-day public notice period. However, the Ministry has received complaints that these certificates are being obtained fraudulently even when original duplicate titles still exist, often involving false statutory declarations.

The suspension aims to allow the Ministry to investigate these abuses and strengthen safeguards within the land registration system. A technical team will conduct a review involving investigative agencies, the Uganda Law Society, the Uganda Bankers Association, and other professional bodies to tighten verification and due-diligence procedures. Nabakooba emphasized that the goal is to ensure “one parcel of land must have one legitimate title” and to protect landowners from losing property through process manipulation.