As the fight over land ownership in Uganda continues, there’s been a breakthrough that could settle disputes surrounding government-aided schools.
The government and several key school foundation bodies have agreed on who owns the land these schools sit on.
This website has learned that the deal was reached during a high-level meeting at the State House last week, led by President Yoweri Museveni.
At the meeting, representatives from major groups like the Catholic and Anglican Churches and the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) sat down with government officials.
According to someone who attended the meeting, they agreed that each government-aided school will now have a certificate of title.
This title will be registered in both the name of the school and the foundation body.
This decision is expected to clear up any confusion and ensure that the ownership of school land is well-protected and understood by all parties.
The source further mentions that the registration aims to make sure that the land stays under the control of the schools while also acknowledging the role of the foundation bodies.
To keep these land titles secure, it was also mentioned during the meeting that all certificates of title will be stored safely by the Bank of Uganda.
This measure is designed to prevent any unauthorised changes or misuse of the land titles.
The new agreement also stops foundation bodies from using school land for anything other than education, which addresses concerns about commercial or other non-educational activities taking over these spaces.
This decision comes after reports that some school lands have been turned into commercial properties or sold off, with even sports fields being used for other purposes.
If put into practice, this new agreement is expected to stop these issues and ensure that school spaces are used as intended.
Dr. Denis Mugimba, the Education Ministry Spokesperson, confirmed this development but noted that it won’t be official until a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is signed between the foundation bodies and the government.
“The resolution from the meeting indeed pointed in that direction, but the MOU needs to be signed for it to become official,” Mugimba explains.
“This is why neither the Ministry of Education nor the Presidential Press Unit (PPU) has issued a statement yet,” he states, adding that the Ministry cannot make a formal announcement as the foundational bodies also have internal processes that must be completed to activate the resolution.
However, the ministry’s attempts to secure these land titles have faced resistance from foundation bodies.
The Catholic and Anglican Churches, which run many of Uganda’s foundation schools, strongly opposed the government’s directive.
They saw it as an attempt by the government to take control of their land.
Here is an example, Rt. Rev. Sanctus Lino Wanok, the Vice Chairperson of the Uganda Episcopal Conference, shared the church’s concerns in an interview.
Wanok expressed the church’s unwillingness to hand over or divide their land, questioning the government’s true intentions.
The Reverend further pointed out that the church has its plans for managing its property and shouldn’t have to change those plans just because the government is helping to run the schools.
Baguma explains that headteachers have been struggling for years with land-related problems, facing threats and difficulties because many schools don’t have proper land titles.
Through officially registering the land, these issues could be resolved. Right now, many schools are on land that was given to them informally, often based on nothing more than a verbal agreement.
In a time when land is highly valuable, this could put the schools’ future at risk.
He also states the importance of public schools, which are fully owned by the government, have their land titles.
This is especially critical because many public schools have already lost significant portions of their land, particularly in cities. Schools that once had large areas for sports or farming are now at risk of losing that space.
“In some areas, local and urban councils have even sold off school land. The situation is particularly alarming in Kampala, where some schools have completely disappeared,” Baguma says adding it implies fewer schools are available for poor and underserved communities, even though education is a basic right
Similarly, the Anglican Church also stood against the government’s directive through its 26th provincial assembly.
Filbert Baguma Bates, the General Secretary of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), stresses how important this issue of school land ownership is, noting that it has been overlooked for too long, even though it affects the quality of education.
He pointed out that securing school land from being taken over by others is long overdue, as many schools do not have proper land documentation.
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