Category: Daily Monitor

President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Ministry of Lands to issue leases to interested squatters on public land across Uganda.

According to Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba, anyone seeking a lease is free to apply.

‘We are going to start opening boundaries and give out those leases. This is in a bid to reduce conflicts and evictions on land,’ Ms. Nabakooba said while presiding over a National Resistance Movement (NRM) party function in Ssekanyonyi and Maanyi sub-counties in Mityana District over the weekend.

The minister explained that this move will enable people to use their land without threats of eviction, noting that squatters often have no guarantee of staying peacefully and permanently on land.

The development follows the government’s recent purchase of machines to facilitate boundary opening, which are now available to residents in Mityana District.

‘Mityana is lucky to be among the first beneficiaries of these machines. It has been a challenge to open boundaries because we lacked these machines in the area, but the issue is now resolved,’ Ms Nabakooba added.

She also highlighted that many land conflicts are driven by family disputes, particularly when estate owners die and heirs claim full ownership at the expense of other relatives.

‘Being an heir doesn’t mean you torment other family members because, in most cases, they are also entitled to shares of that land. Some even forcefully sell off estates of the deceased without the knowledge of others,’ the minister explained.

Ms Nabakooba warned landlords against evicting tenants without court orders or directives from the area Resident District Commissioners (RDCs).

She further said landlords with large parcels of land that have sitting tenants could sell their land to the government through the Land Fund, urging locals to bring such landlords to her office to negotiate payments.

The NRM function was organised to reconcile party leaders, ensuring that those who failed to secure party tickets can still contest in next year’s General Elections.

Last year, the minister revealed that the government would need nearly Shs47.2 trillion to compensate landlords nationwide so that sitting tenants can settle peacefully.

Land disputes have become a major issue in Uganda over the last two decades, with wealthy landowners evicting poor tenants from ancestral land, often claiming illegal occupation. Such disputes have sometimes turned violent, with landlords being chased or harmed.

Politicians have also used land evictions as campaign tools during elections. Government officials say these reforms are aimed at curbing land grabbing.

The head of research and service development at the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Rebecca Mayanja Mpaata, has advised secondary school and university students to seek sponsorship for technological innovations they develop, in order to contribute to Uganda’s digital transformation agenda under Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan (NDP) IV.

Speaking at the central region interschool competition, a pre-event activity of the ninth National Conference on Communications (NCC), hosted at Isbat University in Kampala on September 29, Ms Mayanja, who represented Christine Mugimba, the head of ICT and research at UCC, encouraged students to create frameworks that would allow their innovations to reach commercialisation. She warned that without such strategies, their ideas risk being taken over by foreign entities that would profit from them.

‘Don’t give up on ideas and innovations you have because they cannot be done by one person. We need a number of partners to have these innovations come to light. You [secondary and university students] come up with vibrant ideas but it stops there. When you have different entities coming together to see what’s being done, there’s an opportunity for different parties to find a role to play to bring the innovation to life,’ Ms Mayanja said.

Organised by UCC, the competition showcased innovative, science-based projects from 17 secondary schools across the central region. Trinity College Nabbingo emerged as the winner and will represent the region at the national stage of the NCC 2025, set for October 2 and 3 at the ICT exhibition in Nakawa.

The NCC, which started in 2010, was designed to bring together academia and industry players to collaborate on solutions to pressing community challenges such as unemployment. Over the years, universities including Makerere, Ndejje, and Kyambogo have hosted central region editions of the conference. The platform not only allows secondary school students to showcase their ideas but also helps the technology and innovation industry identify solutions being developed to address Uganda’s challenges.

Pradeep Kumaar, the director of academic affairs at Isbat University, said the conference is meant to instill advanced scientific thinking, promote technological mindset change, and help students align with the country’s development goals.

‘The government makes plans but national development requires that planning should be executed. The execution should be analysed to see the results and outcomes to be implemented for continuous improvement. It is where there needs to be a linkage between ICT clubs in schools, universities, corporates, and industries so that innovations are nurtured at the grassroots. Youth in Uganda are intelligent but need support,’ Mr Kumaar said.

The winners from each region will exhibit their innovations at the ICT hub in Nakawa during the October 2-3 national conference. The event aligns with Vision 2040, which recognises digital transformation through innovation as a cornerstone of national development.

The State Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Mr Godfrey Kabbyanga Baluku, has said the government may interrupt Internet connectivity during the 2026 General Election if intelligence reports point to attempts to use it to incite violence.

Mr Kabbyanga made the remarks at the weekend in Gulu City during a meeting organised by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) to sensitise broadcasters from Acholi, Lango, West Nile and Bunyoro sub-regions on new electoral guidelines ahead of the polls. ‘The moment intelligence detects that the Internet will be used to cause violence during the election, we will interrupt connections. Our actions will be guided by intelligence agencies,’ Mr Kabbyanga said.

‘We will not allow anyone to disrupt peace. Do you know that Uganda is the most stable country in East and Central Africa?’ he added.

The minister further said that his ministry and the UCC have the gadgets and authority to restrict access.

‘We have the capacity to interrupt the Internet. You can have your data, but you cannot send any message using your device,’ he said, adding that the government will not sit back as the internet is used to fuel unrest. Mr Kabbyanga also cautioned media houses against violating broadcasting laws.

‘Any radio station or broadcaster that breaches the minimum standards risks being switched off or losing its licence,’ he warned. Uganda has a precedent. On the eve of the 2021 General Election, the government imposed a nationwide internet blackout that lasted about 100 hours, affecting more than 10.6 million users. Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye, the director of public information in the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs, also addressed the meeting, warning broadcasters against using airwaves to destabilise the country.

Journalists urged

‘We are in a politically charged season. In the next five months, we will see politicians campaigning. We will ensure the country remains peaceful,’ he said, urging the media to promote harmony. Meanwhile, UCC officials reminded journalists that only those accredited by the Electoral Commission will be permitted to cover the elections. ‘Any journalist who is not accredited will not be allowed access to electoral areas. This is to ensure accurate reporting,’ said Mr Medi Kagwa, the UCC manager for social media.

He added that foreign journalists must also obtain accreditation.

‘Those who fail to do so will be handed to security agencies for processing and possible deportation,’ he warned.

In the January 2021 General Election, the government imposed a nationwide blackout that lasted about 100 hours. The shutdown, which began with restrictions on social media platforms before escalating into a full internet cut, affected more than 10.6 million users across the country.

While authorities defended the move as a necessary security measure to prevent unrest, critics said it was a deliberate attempt to stifle dissent and silence Opposition voices during a sensitive political period.