Challenges in the development of the Uganda National Land Policy
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Date
2009-10
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Publisher
Kampala International University, College of Humanities and social sciences.
Abstract
There have been a number of attempts to address the land question in Uganda in the recent past, but all these attempts have not satisfactory addressed the problem. The study on challenges in the development of the Uganda National Land Policy aimed at finding out the process of Uganda national land policy development; examining the role of stakeholders in the development of the national land policy and investigating the challenges encountered by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in the development of the national land policy. To achieve the objectives of the study, both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used. Two districts were selected purposively from the four regions of Uganda. Respondents included the district political leaders; district technical staff; members of private sector organizations, civil society organizations, profession associations, members of the National Land Policy Working Group and members of the public. The study was descriptive in nature and data was analyzed using the statistical package for social scientists (SPSS). The findings of the study indicate that the development of Uganda National Land Policy is a long process which, started with identification of factors contributing to poor performance of the land sector and the process is now at the fourth stage where stakeholders have been consulted country wide and this will be followed by the national land conference where consensus will be built on policy options. The major roles of stakeholders include, for the central government it provides efficient institutions for land management, while civil society organizations and the private sector influence the policy process and ensure transparency through informal personal networks whereas donors support debate and sharing of experiences on land issues and land policy. The challenges encountered by the Ministry in the development of the policy include colonial legacy, cultural practices and poor governance. Others are inadequate funding for extensive stakeholder consultations, identification of stakeholders, balancing people’s views and an inadequate feedback from stakeholders. It was recommended that public institutions build capacity for their civil servants in policy development, source for appropriate funds to sustain the policy development process and develop a communication strategy to manage the feedback mechanism. Finally, a study on challenges faced by the public sector institutions in policy implementation was suggested.
Description
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the master’s degree in public policy and planning of Kampala International University
Keywords
Development, Uganda National Land Policy