and Land Tenure Reform in Uganda - codesria
and Land Tenure Reform in Uganda - codesria
and Land Tenure Reform in Uganda - codesria
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Okuku : The L<strong>and</strong> Act (1998) <strong>and</strong> L<strong>and</strong> <strong>Tenure</strong> <strong>Reform</strong> <strong>in</strong> Ug<strong>and</strong>a<br />
favourable to efficiency <strong>and</strong> employment as well as equity. In the short-run,<br />
the size of the marketed surplus would also be favoured.<br />
Through the l<strong>and</strong> reform of 1946, for <strong>in</strong>stance, Japanese farmers received<br />
a new <strong>in</strong>centive to <strong>in</strong>tensify their productive efforts when they became owners<br />
of the l<strong>and</strong>. Farmers received a new motivation to make better use of<br />
science <strong>and</strong> technology through improved education, agricultural research,<br />
<strong>and</strong> extension comb<strong>in</strong>ed with re-organisation of co-operatives. In both South<br />
Korea <strong>and</strong> Taiwan, absentee l<strong>and</strong> ownership was abolished <strong>and</strong> the l<strong>and</strong> was<br />
placed <strong>in</strong> the h<strong>and</strong>s of cultivators.<br />
Ug<strong>and</strong>a’s economy be<strong>in</strong>g predom<strong>in</strong>antly agricultural-based with over 80<br />
percent of its people deriv<strong>in</strong>g their livelihood directly from l<strong>and</strong>, tenure security<br />
that provides for legalised exploitation of this resource is a critical<br />
need. This is because secure property rights have a positive impact on <strong>in</strong>creased<br />
agricultural production <strong>and</strong> implications for food security. In terms<br />
of the l<strong>and</strong> question, several processes related to the economic crisis <strong>and</strong><br />
Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) have led to changes <strong>in</strong> dem<strong>and</strong>,<br />
use <strong>and</strong> value of l<strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> the country. The nature of access, the rights to l<strong>and</strong>,<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the right to sell, have changed <strong>and</strong> become complex. This has been<br />
facilitated, partially, by the deepen<strong>in</strong>g poverty occasioned by some of the<br />
SAPs. An act to reform l<strong>and</strong> is therefore timely. One of the major milestones<br />
to reform l<strong>and</strong> tenure <strong>in</strong> Ug<strong>and</strong>a has been the 1998 L<strong>and</strong> Act.<br />
The L<strong>and</strong> Act of 1998, which provides for a l<strong>and</strong> tenure reform, has farreach<strong>in</strong>g<br />
implications for agricultural development. It aims at support<strong>in</strong>g<br />
agricultural development through the function<strong>in</strong>g of a l<strong>and</strong> market, establish<strong>in</strong>g<br />
security of tenure, <strong>and</strong> ensur<strong>in</strong>g the susta<strong>in</strong>able utilisation of l<strong>and</strong> to<br />
br<strong>in</strong>g about development. Susta<strong>in</strong>ability of l<strong>and</strong> reform calls for the creation<br />
of conditions for efficient use <strong>and</strong> development of l<strong>and</strong> markets meet<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
requirement of society <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividual citizens. This entails the development<br />
of adm<strong>in</strong>istration of the cadastre, l<strong>and</strong> appraisal for taxation purposes, control<br />
over use of l<strong>and</strong>, l<strong>and</strong> use plann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> monitor<strong>in</strong>g functions.<br />
The l<strong>and</strong> question is immersed <strong>in</strong> the political economy of Ug<strong>and</strong>a. The<br />
exercise of power <strong>and</strong> power relations imp<strong>in</strong>ges on the operations of l<strong>and</strong><br />
markets, on security <strong>in</strong> l<strong>and</strong> rights, <strong>and</strong> on security <strong>in</strong> l<strong>and</strong> tenure. There are<br />
a number of problems associated with exercise of power <strong>in</strong> Ug<strong>and</strong>a today.<br />
First, of particular concern, is the prevalence of patronage politics <strong>in</strong> Ug<strong>and</strong>a<br />
where every development programme is viewed <strong>in</strong> terms of exp<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g the<br />
regime’s political base. Hence, a programme of tenure reform is viewed as<br />
an opportunity more for the expansion of the political base of the regime<br />
than for ensur<strong>in</strong>g tenure security. Public l<strong>and</strong> is likely to be used as a patronage<br />
resource for the state to acquire more power. Second, the l<strong>and</strong> reform<br />
1. Anthony Okuku.pmd 3<br />
27/04/2006, 17:59<br />
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