The government of Uganda is processing land titles for residents of Karusandaro sub-county in Kasese district. Over 11,000 acres of land, previously part of the Bumuhoko Prison Farmland, will be given to individuals in the sub-county in August 2024.

The move is part of the government’s commitment to ensuring the security of tenure for its residents.

Gideon Thembo Mujungu, the Busongora county South Member of Parliament, said that it’s been more than 30 years since the community began demanding individual titles. He added that he’s now optimistic that once the titles are released, community members will be in position to effectively utilize their land for socio-economic transformation.

The government currently holds over 60% of the land in Kasese district, with the three tribes of Bakonjo, Basongora, and Banyabindi squeezed into a corridor to share the remaining portion.

In 1960, the Ugandan government allocated over 8,000 acres of land to people in Karusandara sub-county, which was under the Mubuku Prisons and Mubuku irrigation scheme. However, due to the lack of proper ownership of this land, the residents have all along demanded a land title from the government, but in vain.

The Acting Uganda Land Commission, Prof. Nyeko Pen Mogi, said they are acting on the directive of President Museveni, who pledged to give up government interest in the same land in favor of the residents.