Uganda's land ministry has suspended services at its zonal offices, triggering parliamentary scrutiny over the decision's impact on property transactions and economic activity. Government Chief Whip Jane Ruth Aceng directed the Minister of Lands to present a formal statement to Parliament on Thursday, October 22, 2026, following renewed calls for clarity on the matter from Bbaale County MP Charles Tebandeke.
Tebandeke first raised concerns about the suspension on October 13 but said he had not received a satisfactory government response. He told Parliament on October 21 that the closure was disrupting land transactions, including mortgage processing and the discharge of existing mortgages. The MP questioned the basis for the suspension, stating that mortgaging land or clearing a mortgage should not be treated as fraudulent activity, and warned of serious economic implications for property owners and lenders.
Aceng acknowledged that Tebandeke had raised the issue twice and conceded that a formal parliamentary statement should have been presented earlier. She had previously responded to the MP with a personal letter in which she reportedly stated she had no capacity to inform the entire public about the matter. The Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa subsequently ruled that the Minister of Lands would be given time on the parliamentary Order Paper to address the concerns.
Tayebwa also used the occasion to criticise the practice of government issuing guidelines outside Parliament. He urged ministers to present such measures to legislators first to allow MPs to scrutinise them and build consensus, rather than communicating them publicly before parliamentary review.
The minister's statement on Thursday is expected to clarify the reasons for suspending services at the zonal offices and the implications for members of the public seeking to register land transactions, process mortgages or discharge existing property encumbrances. The suspension is affecting people's ability to formalise property ownership, borrow against land as collateral, and resolve existing mortgage obligations.
For property owners, businesses and lenders in Uganda, the suspension means delays in land registration, mortgage processing and debt settlement on property, disrupting credit access and property market transactions.