Several Land Titles Created on Namanve Industrial Park Land Cancelled A government investigation has uncovered multiple land titles issued on land belonging to the Uganda Investment Authority in Namanve Industrial Park. The Ministry of Lands has ordered the recall and cancellation of the overlapping titles, citing the 2001 UIA title as the legally recognized ownership of the disputed land parcels.

The Ministry of Lands has ordered the cancellation of several land titles that were created on land belonging to the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA).

The move, government says, is part of a broader effort to clean up land registry and protect strategic government land.

In a notice published on Monday, the Ministry of Lands noted that investigations had confirmed that multiple certificates of title were issued overlapping land already legally registered in the name of UIA, the agency managing the Namanve Industrial and Business Park, one of Uganda’s largest industrial zones.

The recall of the titles follows a complaint by UIA that prompted a technical investigation into the ownership and boundaries of the land.

Strategic importance of the land

The land at the center of the dispute lies within the Namanve Industrial and Business Park, located between Kampala and Mukono.

The park is a key government project designed to attract local and foreign investors, create jobs, and expand Uganda’s industrial sector.

Over the past two decades, government has invested heavily in developing infrastructure in the area, including roads, power supply, and water systems to support manufacturing companies operating in the park.

Because of its economic value and strategic location along the Kampala–Jinja highway corridor, the land has long been vulnerable to encroachment, fraudulent titling, and competing ownership claims.

How the dispute started

The dispute began when UIA filed a complaint with the Ministry of Lands claiming that several land titles had been issued overlapping land it already owned.

In the notice, the Ministry of Lands said the affected land is registered under Freehold Register Volume 379 Folio 11, covering Block 111 plots 964 and 965 and Block 113 plots 59, 60, 61, and 62.

These parcels were officially registered under the title of UIA on December 14, 2001, making them the earliest legally recognized titles for the land.

In its complaint, UIA argued that any titles issued later on the same land were irregular and undermined government’s plans for the industrial park.

Investigation reveals overlapping titles

Following the complaint, the Department of Surveys and Mapping carried out a boundary opening exercise and technical analysis of cadastral maps and survey records, in which it found that a number of titles had been issued on plots that either partially or fully overlapped with UIA land.

The Ministry of Lands notice indicates that affected parcels include land in Block 234 plots 1314 and 1315, Block 561 plot 396, Block 1287 plots 1287, 1288, 1289 and 1422, and multiple plots in Block 113 including 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 865, 866, 867, 868, 705, 911, 1084, 1287, 1288, 1289, 1480, 1488, 1489, 1490, 1494, 1495, 1496 and plot 2300.

Survey results showed that some of these parcels lie entirely inside the industrial park land, while others partially overlap with it.

However, particulars of the owners of the cancelled titles were not immediately available by press time.

Public hearing and legal review

In line with Section 91 of the Land Act, the Ministry of Lands issued a Notice of Intention to correct the land register and invited the registered proprietors of the affected plots to a public hearing held on October 18, 2023.

During the hearing, a number of issues were reviewed, including survey records, land registry documents, and historical registration data.

After evaluating the evidence, the ministry concluded that the title issued to UIA in 2001 was the first valid title, meaning any later titles created on the same land were invalid.

This conclusion is based on the principle of priority in land registration, a legal doctrine that states that the first registered title takes precedence over subsequent ones.

Government orders cancellation of titles

Following the investigation and public hearing, Commissioner for Land Registration Baker Mugaino ordered that all overlapping certificates of title be recalled, instructing registered proprietors of the affected titles to surrender their duplicate certificates from Monday.

Officials say the move is intended to restore the integrity of the land registry and secure land reserved for national development projects.

Wider crackdown on land fraud     

The decision comes amid increasing government efforts to address fraudulent land transactions and overlapping titles, a long-standing problem in Uganda’s land administration system.

Copies of the recall notice have been sent to several key government offices, including the Minister of Lands, the State Minister for Lands, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, and Uganda Investment Authority.

Government says the involvement of anti-corruption agencies signals a broader investigation into how the overlapping titles were created in the first place, raising questions about possible irregularities within the land registration system.

Securing the land is seen as essential to protecting the future expansion of the Namanve Industrial Park, which remains central to Uganda’s industrialization agenda.