Cabinet has approved the appointment of four professionals to the Surveyors Registration Board, the statutory body responsible for overseeing and regulating Uganda’s surveying profession.
The appointments were approved during a Cabinet sitting on Monday, August 24, 2026, according to Minister of ICT and National Guidance Justine Kasule Lumumba, who communicated the resolutions.
The new Board members are Dr. Sophia Nagujja Mugumbu, Daniel Okwana, Patricia Alowo Namulembwa and Anthony Kyalirizo Mark.
The appointments come at a time when Uganda’s land sector continues to grapple with disputes over boundaries and ownership, fraudulent transactions, incomplete land records and increasing pressure on land arising from urbanisation, infrastructure projects and population growth.
The Surveyors Registration Board operates under the Surveyors Registration Act, which provides for the regulation and control of the surveying profession and the activities of registered practitioners.
Among its key functions are registering surveyors, issuing annual practising certificates, enforcing professional standards, handling complaints and disciplinary cases, and overseeing compliance with ethical requirements.
Under the law, anyone practising surveying in Uganda is required to be registered and hold a valid annual practising certificate.
Lumumba said the appointments are intended to reinforce professional regulation in a sector that is central to land administration and national development.
New Board Members
Dr. Mugumbu is a registered surveyor with expertise in geospatial sciences and land administration. She holds a PhD from Makerere University, where her research focused on land tenure arrangements in refugee settlements.
She also holds a master’s degree in Geographic Information Science and Technology and a bachelor’s degree in surveying.
Okwana, also a registered land surveyor, brings experience from private-sector surveying practice, while Namulembwa joins the Board as a professional surveyor.
Mark is a registered mining and hydrological surveyor and a Fellow of the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda. He has academic qualifications in geology and chemistry, hydrology and water resources, as well as oil, gas and energy management.
He works with the Ministry of Water and Environment.
The four will join other members of the Board in overseeing professional registration, ethical standards, continuing professional development and disciplinary matters involving practitioners.
Land Sector Faces Persistent Challenges
The appointments come against a backdrop of continuing challenges in Uganda’s land administration system.
Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Judith Nabakooba has previously pointed to limited formal registration of land as one of the major weaknesses in the sector.
Nabakooba said formal registration covers only an estimated 20 to 30 percent of Uganda’s land, although figures vary depending on the source and methodology used. Much of the country’s land remains under customary tenure or is incompletely documented.
The situation has contributed to disputes over boundaries, inheritance conflicts and difficulties for landowners seeking to use their property as collateral for credit.
Nabakooba also disclosed that land-related fraud cases reported to police increased from 397 in 2024 to 663 in 2025, representing a 67 percent rise. The cases included fraudulent land titles, forgery and related offences.
Other problems include double and multiple titling, fraudulent surveys and encroachment on public and protected land.
Although the government has digitised several land administration processes through the Uganda National Land Information System (UgNLIS) and established Ministry Zonal Offices to handle land transactions, challenges remain.
Nabakooba said title issuance has increased significantly, with monitoring data recording more than 123,000 titles issued during one recent six-month period. However, backlogs, limited capacity at district level and concerns over the integrity of land transactions continue to affect the sector.
Surveying At Centre Of Land Administration
The role of professional surveyors is particularly important as Uganda expands urban areas, develops infrastructure corridors and responds to growing demand for housing and land.
Accurate surveys and reliable cadastral information help establish property boundaries, support secure land ownership, guide physical planning and provide critical information for infrastructure development.
The government has been expanding digital land administration services as part of efforts to improve registration, strengthen records and reduce disputes.
The new Board members are therefore expected to play a key role in maintaining professional standards within the surveying industry and ensuring that practitioners meet the requirements established by law.
With land-related disputes and fraud remaining significant concerns, effective regulation of surveying is expected to be critical to improving confidence in land transactions and strengthening Uganda’s broader land administration system.
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