Author: Isaac Matumbwe

Mutyabule (not real name) bought about 50 acres of land to set up a dairy and poultry farm. He wanted to use the farm as his retirement business. He hired us to provide him with surveying services to process a freehold land title. The preliminary survey we carried out revealed that he had bought a fine piece of land though part of it fell in one of the forest reserves in Eastern Uganda. Later, it emerged that the only land that he legally owned and could thus freely use was the 20-acre portion that was outside the forest reserve. There…

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Byobona (not real name) bought land from Ndizaawa. The land had an access road that served the other plots that belonged to Ndizaawa. Ndizaawa later sold one of the plots to Bukusuba. Byobona started building the perimeter wall around his plot hence blocking the access road. Bukusuba was up in arms and protested against constructing the perimeter wall. Bukusuba wouldn’t access his plot if Byobona continued with the construction. Ndizaawa was called by both parties to resolve the impasse. Ndizaawa had to tell Byobona that there was a right-of-way easement on his land and that he couldn’t construct the perimeter…

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Byobona (not real name) bought land from Ndizaawa. The land had an access road that served the other plots that belonged to Ndizaawa. Ndizaawa later sold one of the plots to Bukusuba. Byobona started building the perimeter wall around his plot hence blocking the access road. Bukusuba was up in arms and protested against constructing the perimeter wall. Bukusuba wouldn’t access his plot if Byobona continued with the construction. Ndizaawa was called by both parties to resolve the impasse. Ndizaawa had to tell Byobona that there was a right-of-way easement on his land and that he couldn’t construct the perimeter…

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Throughout the ages, land has been a source of income generation for households in the world. People in rural areas usually use land to meet subsistence needs like food and shelter. Land when used properly to meet those needs provides resilience (social and economical) to the households for a long time. Land is a very important resource for individuals to manage/use. Failure to use it sustainably leads to several consequences for the future generations. The crucial role land plays in the sustainable development calls for protection of this valuable resource. The best way to promote the sustainable development of land…

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Fenekansi (not real name) bought five acres of land in Bugweri district. He paid all the money in a lumpsum. After signing the land agreement, the seller requested a grace period of six months to shift his house from the portion he had sold to his remaining portion. Fenekansi agreed to the request. After the grace period ended, the seller was still using the land and there were no signs he was about to vacate. Fenekansi reported his predicament to the local council authorities. The officials intervened and the seller requested another three months to finally vacate the land. An…

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In the previous two articles, I discussed the necessary due diligence one needs to take while carrying out any land transaction. In those articles, I discussed several things one can do to protect his/her hard-earned money from being lost. This is a follow-up article to the previous ones. In this article, I will discuss the measurement units used in land transac­tions. It is prudent for you as a buyer to have the basic knowledge of land measurement units and terminologies.Possesion of the knowledge will set you up to enjoy several advantages that include the following: The first advantage is that…

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In the previous article, I discussed the necessary due diligence one needs to take while carrying out any land transaction. This is a follow-up article to the previous one. In this article, I will discuss the contents of a good land sales agreement. It is paramount for you as a buyer or seller to know the contents of a good land sales agreement. This knowledge has several advantages that include the following; First of all, the agreement acts as a protection to both the purchaser’s and seller’s interests and ensures that both get what they rightfully deserve without getting conned.…

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Waligo and his wife bought land in December 2022. They agreed to buy registered land. Registered land is land with a certificate of Title. One of their friends recommended someone with the registered land. They bought the land and had it transferred into their names. Last year they wanted to develop it. They hired an architect to produce a house plan. The architect asked them to provide a copy of the certificate of title to get the extentof the land. Later on, the architect went to do a site visit, and she found that the dimensions on the deed plan…

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Naigaga is distraught. She is homeless now. She recently lost her husband. After the burial of her husband, she was chased by her husband relatives from the land she has called home for the last many years. She does not have anything to her name as everything was taken away from her. Naigaga with her children have returned to her parents’ home. Naigaga is one of the many women who face injustices when it comes to ownership of family property. Many women are in great pain caused by the same people who were meant to protect them.Naigaga’s situation is not…

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In the previous article, I shared about the benefits of having your claims/ interests in land registered. In this article I discuss the various players/stakeholders involved in the land registration process. We came to a conclusion in the prior article that land registration is a crucial component of a stable and prosperous country. It is not only about registering your land interests but there should be protection and respects of those interests by all the stakeholders involved. Show me a prosperous country and in it, you will find well-functioning land registration systems. There should be confidence in the systems by…

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