The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has officially launched the 9th National Land Awareness Week 2025, focusing on empowering vulnerable groups, resolving land disputes, and enhancing access to justice in rural Uganda.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Uganda Media Centre on Thursday, 21st August, 2025, the State Minister of Lands, Sam Mayanja explained that the campaign aims to tackle persistent land-related challenges, particularly in these areas, where disputes over ownership, boundary conflicts, and limited access to legal services have long plagued local communities.
“This initiative is not just an event, but a collective movement to secure land rights, resolve disputes, protect the environment, and lay the foundation for inclusive and sustainable development,” Mayanja said.
The campaign scheduled to take place from August 25-29, 2025, in the Bugisu and Sebei sub-regions will run under the theme “Promoting Land Rights for Sustainable Land Use for Inclusive and Sustainable Development” and will cover nine districts: Mbale, Sironko, Bulambuli, Namisindwa, Manafwa, Bududa, Kapchorwa, Kween, and Bukwo. The Ministry’s efforts will involve local governments, cultural institutions, civil society, and other non-state actors.
A key feature of this year’s campaign will be the establishment of mobile pro bono legal aid clinics, designed to provide free legal guidance on land issues to communities that traditionally lack access to lawyers or courts.
In addition to the legal clinics, the Ministry will host community dialogues, public awareness sessions, and radio talk shows to raise land literacy and promote effective dispute resolution at the grassroots level.
“The Land Awareness Week will prioritize outreach to women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized land users, ensuring that these groups are not left behind in the fight for land rights,” Mayanja added.
Since its inception in 2017, the National Land Awareness Week has become a key annual event, bridging the gap between communities and land institutions. This year’s campaign is expected to take a more inclusive, solutions-oriented approach, aimed at laying the groundwork for long-term reforms in Uganda’s land governance systems.
