Parliament Passes Landmark Bill on Digital Land Registration
The new law will require all land transactions to be processed through an electronic registry, aimed at cutting fraud and speeding up title processing.
Parliament on Thursday passed the Land (Amendment) Bill 2026, paving the way for a fully digital national land registry that officials say will curb the rampant fraud that has plagued Uganda's land sector for decades.
Under the new law, all land transfers, mortgages and title searches must be conducted through the Ministry of Lands' online portal, with physical land files to be phased out within three years.
Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba told the House the reform was long overdue. "Too many families have lost land to forged titles and multiple sales of the same plot. A digital, tamper-evident registry closes that loophole," she said.
Civil society groups cautiously welcomed the bill but called for safeguards to ensure rural landholders without reliable internet access are not left behind during the transition.
