By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Lands, housing and urban development minister Judith Nabakooba has said that beginning March 1 2022, the ministry shall roll out full automation of its services to cut down on face to face interactions.
Nabakooba who was addressing the media at the ministry’s headquarters in Kampala on January 6 said with the emergence of Covid-19 and the dot-com era, the ministry cannot run away from the automation of its services.
“We have seen government agencies going online and webelieve their services have improved. We believe that this will go a long way in reducing the congestion in our offices but also handle complaints from members of the public,” she said.
Services set to be automated shall include: online submission of transaction documents; searching the status of transactions submitted; searching parcels; searching titles; searching for encumbrances (e.gcaveats, mortgages and court orders).
According to the minister, there shall be the systematic demarcation of land to issue freehold titles to citizens and a full 11enhancement of the Survey geodetic network for improved, faster, accurate and consistent surveys. “All these interventions are promised in the NRMManifesto and must be delivered in the first two or three years of the manifesto implementation.”
She urged those in remote areas and villages to use online and asked those that are unable to use the online services to continue making use of the MZO offices in their areas since both services are going to be provided.
“We have created the public and corporate portal because we have banks and institutions who want to access our services toverify and know whether documents are true. So we believe that to those public and other institutions, this will be a convenient service and event to members of the public who may be too busy to move up and down. They can pay online andaccess these services.”
Nabakooba also said the lands Ministry has made considerable progress in 2021 and the New Year provides an opportunity to deliver on their mission of making the land sector work for every citizen.
She said in efforts of getting the law work for everyone, the ministry last year started on the process of cleaning up the law on land ownership.
The current law indirectly ‘provided for dual ownership’ of land between registered owners and bonafide bibanja owners, something that has been the source of insecurity in many parts of the country leading to loss of lives, property and unending misery.
The proposed amendments to the land act will create more peaceful and harmonious communities with the right conditions for every citizen to take part in the government’s efforts of wealth creation.
Nabakooba said through the Uganda Land Fund, the Ministry is enabling several lawful and bonafide bibanja owners to acquire registered interests. This has been made possible through negotiated settlements with absentee landlords willing to sell off their interests to the government.
“So far 33,036 acres have been acquired securing therights of occupants on this land from eviction. Throughout this year, we shallcontinue to put forward these principles in all that we do. We shall endeavour to be transparent while minimizing any possibility of corruption in our work,” she said.
By securing people’s rights to occupancy, the Ministryis making it possible for everyone to have a place they call home. In 2022, according to Nabakooba, the ministry will continue with its targeted efforts to ensure that the current housing deficit reduces significantly.
She said 2022 is going to be a busy year for many of the new cities and urban centers, as the Ministry has commissioned several funding programs that will enable these areas to undertake structural improvements in a number of key areas.
“Under the CompetitivenessEnterprise Development Programme, (CEDP AF), Customary land owners, who make up 80% of the unregistered land, are going to have their land registered and placed in the Land Information System. The registration shall be at subcounty level in rural areas and Divisions in urban areas. (mtsobek.com) ”
