By Spy Uganda
Judith Nalule Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has revealed that the government is now aimed at seeing every Ugandan with tenancy rights as another mechanism of curbing land grabbing tendencies.
Nabakooba revealed these during the governing council of the institution of surveyors of Uganda’s end of year luncheon and pre AGM-Conference where she was invited to represent HE. Vice President Jessica Alupo.
The theme of the conference was; ”Sustainable Urban Development, the Role of Land and Built Professionals.”
Minister said that currently, there are so many people without a place to call home yet access to a home is a fundamental human right and that’s the reason the NRM government is working hard to ensure that every Ugandan especially people at the grassroots are able to secure their tenancy rights.
She however urged that the role of surveyors is key in this effort of securing tenancy rights for everyone especially the bibanja owners.
”As a Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, our mandate is to ensure rational and effective use of land and orderly development of urban and rural areas but we can not realise this mandate without the important role of Surveyors. It is therefore important to have these regular interactions that strengthen and improve our working relationship,” she said.
The minister asked surveyors to work smartly while utilizing new knowledge and innovations that will ensure safe and clean practices that are sensitive to the environment.
”The NRM Government is committed to achieving Vision 2040; which seeks to transform Uganda from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country by 2040,” she said.
”To achieve this Vision, the Surveyors and the Built Professionals must be at the center of all discussions in key sectors such as infrastructure for energy, transport, water, oil and gas,” she added.
Nabakooba urged surveyors to speak out loudly and advise the government on how to build smart cities, technologies that infrastructure that relies on green and renewable energies.
The minister however cautioned surveyors from involving themselves in illegal acts like land grabbing using fake land titles that have since left thousands of Ugandans displaced.
”I have witnessed several cases of fraud, attempts to displace communities and villages from their ancestral homes by forging land titles and all other forms of corruption. Unfortunately, in all these cases, Surveyors have been involved all throughout,” she noted.
She added that surveyors are reportedly involved in rampant encroachments on public land and protected areas such as forests and wetlands.
”The Ministry is carrying out internal audits to cancel titles that have been issued to individuals or institutions in protected areas. I therefore want to use this occasion to remind you about your professional role and importance to this country,” she added.
She tasked them to strengthen their internal controls especially against those individuals that are going against their values and principles.
