Chapter 15 / Land and environment
Land
237.Land ownership
(1)Land in Uganda belongs to the citizens of Uganda and shall vest in them in accordance with the land tenure systems provided for in this Constitution.
(2)Notwithstanding clause (1) of this Article—
(a)the Government or a local government may, subject to Article 26 of this Constitution, acquire land in the public interest; and the conditions governing such acquisition shall be as prescribed by Parliament;
(b)the Government or a local government as determined by Parliament by law shall hold in trust for the people and protect natural lakes, rivers, wetlands, forest reserves, game reserves, national parks and any land to be reserved for ecological and touristic purposes for the common good of all citizens;
(c)non-citizens may acquire leases in land in accordance with the laws prescribed by Parliament, and the laws so prescribed shall define a non-citizen for the purposes of this paragraph.
(3)Land in Uganda shall be owned in accordance with the following land tenure systems—
(a)customary;
(b)freehold;
(c)mailo; and
(d)leasehold.
(4)On the coming into force of this Constitution—
(a)all Uganda citizens owning land under customary tenure may acquire certificates of ownership in a manner prescribed by Parliament; and
(b)land under customary tenure may be converted to freehold land ownership by registration.
(5)Any lease which was granted to a Uganda citizen out of public land may be converted into freehold in accordance with a law which shall be made by Parliament.
(6)For the purposes of clause (5) of this Article, “public land” includes statutory leases to urban authorities.
(7)Parliament shall make laws to enable urban authorities to enforce and to implement planning and development.
(8)Upon the coming into force of this Constitution and until Parliament enacts an appropriate law under clause (9) of this Article, the lawful or bona fide occupants of mailo land, freehold or leasehold land shall enjoy security of occupancy on the land.
(9)Within two years after the first sitting of Parliament elected under this Constitution, Parliament shall enact a law—
(a)regulating the relationship between the lawful or bona fide occupants of land referred to in clause (8) of this Article and the registered owners of that land;
(b)providing for the acquisition of registrable interest in the land by the occupant.
Uganda Land Commission
238.Uganda Land Commission
(1)There shall be a commission to be known as the Uganda Land Commission.
(2)The Commission shall consist of a chairperson and not less than four other members appointed by the President with the approval of Parliament.
(3)A person holding office as a member of Parliament or a member of a local government council shall relinquish that office upon appointment as a member of the Commission.
(4)The members of the Commission shall hold office for a period of five years and shall be eligible to be re-appointed.
(5)A member of the Commission may be removed from office by the President only for—
(a)inability to perform the functions of his or her office arising from infirmity of body or mind;
(b)misbehaviour or misconduct; or
(c)incompetence.
(6)The salaries and allowances of the members of the Commission shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund.