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Kyofatogabye Kabuye, has called for urgent land reforms to allow the compulsory acquisition of land for public projects
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Minister calls for land reforms to enable development projects
Kampala — The Minister of State for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Metropolitan Affairs, Kyofatogabye Kabuye, has called for urgent land reforms to allow the compulsory acquisition of land for public projects, arguing that Uganda's current land ownership laws are hindering development.
Speaking before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee yesterday, where he presented KCCA’s 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper, Minister Kyofatogabye emphasized the need for the government to take bold steps to address the "land question," particularly in urban areas.
“The impediment on the existing road corridor is the land question. Government must wake up and say enough is enough. If I want a road here, let me break the thing and put the road, come what may,” he said. Kyofatogabye added that efforts to widen roads in Kampala have been constrained by land tenure systems requiring compensation for property owners, a process he described as unsustainable.
Narrow Roads, Stalled Projects
The Minister explained that Kampala’s roads were initially designed with the assumption that citizens would offer land voluntarily for road expansion. However, this has not materialized, forcing KCCA to stick to narrow corridors while upgrading roads. “We aren’t constructing new roads; we are only upgrading existing corridors. Unfortunately, these corridors are not wide enough to accommodate modern urban road designs, which require covered drainage, walkways, streetlights, and service ducts,” he explained.
Challenges with Land Acquisition
Kyofatogabye also shared an incident in Bugolobi, where a developer allegedly demanded UGX3 billion from KCCA to break a wall and construct a drainage channel on public land leased to the individual by KCCA.
“We are constructing Port Bell Road, and now we’re in litigation because someone is demanding compensation for public land. I told the man that if you don’t allow the water to pass through Nakivubo channel, it will destroy your property. He told me, ‘You’re a villager, don’t talk,’ and insisted on being paid UGX3 billion,” the Minister recounted.
Port Bell Road under construction
Land ownership in Uganda
Under Uganda’s Constitution, all land belongs to the citizens of Uganda. The country operates four land tenure systems:
Article 237(1) of the Constitution protects citizens’ land ownership, while Article 26(1) guarantees the right to own property individually or collectively. The Government therefore, cannot construct any project on privately owned land without adequate compensation and agreement with the owner.
Call for policy shift
Kyofatogabye urged Parliament to consider reforms that allow the government to acquire land for public projects without prolonged negotiations and appeals. "The current approach of appeasing and kneeling before property owners is unsustainable if we want to build wide, motorable roads for all users," he said.
While his remarks have sparked a contentious debate, supporters argue that land reforms could unlock stalled infrastructure projects and accelerate urban development. Critics, however, caution against violating citizens’ constitutional right to property ownership.
The proposal now awaits further debate as part of discussions on KCCA’s 2025/26 budget and Uganda’s broader development agenda.
Torch Media Africa
