MPs have called for changes to the law to make land officers answer for title errors that cost taxpayers billions of shillings in compensation.
The proposal followed a parliamentary report linking double and overlapping land titles to failures by registry staff to conduct proper checks.
Committee on Lands chairperson Edson Rugumayo tabled the findings on November 11, 2026, after oversight visits to ministry zonal offices in Mukono, Wakiso, Masaka, Jinja, Mbale and Soroti.
The report cited a case involving Henley Property Developers Limited, which sued the Attorney General after the registrar cancelled a mailo title that the registry had issued in error.
According to the committee, the company secured Shs50 billion in compensation for the land’s market value. The Supreme Court upheld the award and faulted the registry for double registration.
Kole South MP Boniface Okot argued that taxpayers should not bear the cost of mistakes by land officers. He proposed amending Section 159 of the Registration of Titles Act to hold culpable officials accountable.
“There is need for this House to amend Section 159 of the Registration of Titles Act, so that the land officer who is culpable in this matter, bears the burden of the mistake,” Okot said.
The committee called for a clean-up of land records, prosecution of people involved in fraud and better staffing and equipment at zonal offices.
It also urged the ministry to make the National Land Information System fully operational and strengthen supervision. MPs warned that continued reliance on manual records leaves room for fraudulent titles.
In a separate report, the committee questioned the Lands minister’s nationwide suspension of special certificates of title. It said the ministry had not provided enough evidence to justify the decision.
The suspension affected applicants seeking replacements for lost or damaged titles, as well as people acting on court orders.
Rugumayo said the measure breached the law and disrupted land transactions, borrowing, investment and government revenue.
Ndorwa West MP Eliab Naturinda urged land officials to involve local council leaders when processing titles. His proposal followed the committee’s recommendation for registrars, surveyors and land officers to verify boundaries on the ground.
MPs also called for consultations with neighbouring landowners to help establish ownership before officials issue titles.
Kyankwanzi District Woman MP Ann Nankabirwa raised concerns about the alleged fraudulent conversion of titles on Kabaka’s land into freehold.
She cited Wamala Growers Cooperative Union, which she said encountered missing titles while seeking to renew a lease. She told Parliament that subsequent inquiries revealed a conversion to freehold.
Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth directed the ministry to give permanent employment to land officers working on contracts. He said greater job security would promote integrity in land administration.
