Buganda partners Fida to help women acquire land titles

Buganda Land Board (BLB) and FIDA-Uganda have entered a partnership aimed at strengthening security of tenure, especially for vulnerable women in Buganda, starting with the greater Luweero territory. 

While more than 80 per cent of agricultural activity in Uganda is performed by women, many of them lack land ownership rights. The two organizations, therefore, want to end this injustice by empowering them to obtain rightful documents for their land.

Such vulnerable groups include widows, elderly women, women-led families, women in far-to-reach areas, women living with HIV, and many more.

In the memorandum of understanding signed by the respective CEOs, Simon Kabogoza for BLB and Lillian Byarugaba Adriko for FIDA-Uganda, the two organisations shall work together and leverage each other’s expertise to support vulnerable women to register their interests on land and acquire certificates of title under land managed by BLB. 

Buganda Land Board and FIDA also through their respective areas of operation collaborate to undertake interventions including the dissemination of legal information on land justice and address the legal disputes that arise through formal and informal legal systems. 

This MOU also presents a framework through which the two institutions are able to ensure gender-responsive practices in the land structures and administration including the Buganda kingdom local government structures ie ‘Abatongole’, ab’Emiruka, ab’Amagombolola ‘Abamasaza’ and Buganda Land Board officials.

Kabogoza noted thus: “We will sign this MOU with the intention of continuing to work with FIDA-U on these issues. We have worked with them before to improve the wellbeing of communities and feel it was prudent to have this partnership formalized.”

“This MOU will not just run for 2-3 years, this partnership is necessary enough that we have made it open ending, so we may continue working on this issue without constraints.” 

Byarugaba said that “FIDA-Uganda is confident that this agreement lays fertile ground for the development of mechanisms which will assist women and marginalized groups struggling to secure land tenure…Both Buganda Land Board and FIDA-Uganda are confident that this partnership presents a fertile ground for both partners to support vulnerable women in strengthening security of tenure but also for cross-learning among the institutions.”