Land acquisition in Uganda is expected to become more efficient once the Valuation Bill, 2024, is enacted into law.
The proposed legislation is also anticipated to enhance the efficiency of the real estate and financial markets by professionalising the valuation function.
The Bill was tabled for its first reading on February 11, 2025, by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba.
A key objective of the law is to boost public confidence in valuation services through the establishment of the Institute of Certified Valuers of Uganda and its governing council.
If passed, the law will introduce the position of Chief Government Valuer, tasked with undertaking statutory valuations.
The Bill underscores the necessity of professionalising valuation, citing its critical role in decision-making across the public and private sectors, including real estate, infrastructure, urban development, fiscal regimes, manufacturing, extractive industries, and international trade.
“Despite this critical role, the valuation function in Uganda is largely limited to land and land developments, with an un-streamlined pre and post-training curriculum,” the Bill reads in part.
Under the proposed law, only members of the Institute of Certified Valuers of Uganda will be recognised as valuers.
“A person who is enrolled as a member of the institute shall be referred to as a certified valuer and shall be entitled to use the designation ‘Certified Valuer of Uganda,’” the Bill states.
Additionally, valuers seeking to practise will be subjected to vetting by the council upon submitting their applications.
“Where the council is satisfied that the person who makes an application qualifies for registration as a practising valuer, the council shall direct the Registrar to enter the name of the member on the register of practising valuers,” the Bill further states.
Valuation firms will also be required to obtain practising licences, with each partner holding a certificate of practice.
Any certified or practising valuer who allows an unregistered valuer to use their name will face a fine of Shs100 million, imprisonment for up to two years, or both.
Speaker Anita Among has referred the Bill to the Committee of Physical Infrastructure for further processing.