In Uganda’s West Nile region, women play a crucial role in agriculture, but cultural norms restrict their ability to own land and other properties. The Lugbara and Alur communities cherish deep-seated cultural values that limit women’s rights, leading to gender-based violence and disputes over land ownership.
“Culture has dictated that women simply enjoy the land user rights but not the right to own land,” says Paska Aliru, a resident of Polota parish in Logiri village, Arua District. “The customary certificate ownership that includes women is a big achievement for West Nile women.”
Elizabeth Minala, a widow and resident of Polota village, knows firsthand the struggles of women in her community. After her husband’s death in 2019, she was thrown out of her marital home and denied ownership of the land.
“I believe one of the reasons why I was thrown out of my late husband’s home is because of the greed for property, including land,” she says.
Uganda’s Constitution guarantees land ownership to every citizen without discrimination based on gender. However, in the West Nile region, women are often unaware of their rights. Esther Kisembo, Programs Coordinator at ActionAid Uganda, notes that the land awareness camp is a sensitization platform to empower communities about their land rights and customary land registration process.
“Uganda’s Constitution guarantees land ownership to every citizen without discrimination based on gender,” Kisembo says. “It’s unfortunate that in this particular sub-region, the women that form the majority of the population under the farming sector know that they have the land user rights but not the ownership rights.”
Local leaders are taking steps to address the issue. John Bosco Odama, the Logiri LC3 Subcounty Chief, acknowledges that land-related wrangles are a major source of community disputes in the region. “The women use the land but have no ownership rights,” he says. “But both the cultural leaders and the community are now realizing the importance of customary certificate registration where women are allowed to register ownership.”
The Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development is working with partners, including ActionAid Uganda, FIDA Uganda, and Eastern and Southern Small Scale Farmers Forum, to promote customary certificates registration and land awareness. Denis Obbo, the Communication and Information Officer at the Ministry of Lands, notes that the initiative aims to formalize land ownership and empower communities, especially women, to claim their rights.
The Lugbara Kari Pronouncement, a document detailing several interventions aimed at empowering the Lugbara people, clarifies the right of the girl child to education, property inheritance, and women’s land-related rights. As the government and partners work to address the issue, women in West Nile are hopeful that their struggles will soon be a thing of the past.