KAMPALA – The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has lifted the suspension on issuing Special Certificates of Title and introduced new guidelines to curb fraud and restore public confidence in land registration.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The development was announced by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, on Tuesday, October 20, during a press briefing at the Media Centre in Kampala.
The Ministry had halted the issuance of Special Certificates of Title on August 14, 2026, following a public outcry over widespread cases of innocent citizens losing their properties under the guise of special certificates.
Minister Nabakooba said the suspension followed rampant fraud exploiting legal gaps, noting that Section 69 of the Registration of Titles Act provides for Special Certificates of Title but lacks explicit anti-fraud procedures.
“The Registration of Titles Act provides for the issuance of Special Certificates of Title under Section 69 but falls short of explicitly providing for the procedure to help eliminate aspects of fraud that are rampant today,” the Minister explained.
She added that the Ministry had carefully studied and developed new guidelines to streamline the processes, minimize loopholes exploited by fraudulent individuals, and ensure security of tenure as enshrined in the Constitution of Uganda.
The guidelines, titled “Guidelines on the Application, Verification and Issuance of Special Certificates of Title,” establish a clear, transparent, standardized, and secure framework for processing these certificates.
The guidelines are also anchored in the Constitution and the Registration of Titles Act, covering lost, obliterated, or destroyed certificates, court-ordered issuances, and estate applications.
The framework rests on six governing principles, legality, sanctity of the register, transparency, natural justice, proportionality, and accountability, with every material step documented in both physical and electronic formats.
Specific requirements apply to each application category, including triplicate applications, statutory declarations, police forms, Gazette notices, and newspaper advertisements, while court orders must be verified with the issuing court.
Before issuance, notices must run for at least 30 days in the Gazette and on the land, objections may be lodged and heard by the Registrar, and every decision must be recorded with reasons and endorsed in the Register Book.
The Ministry lifted the suspension on the issuance of Special Certificates of Title effective October 20, 2026, with all applications required to meet the new requirements.
The Ministry has since committed to undertaking wider consultations with relevant stakeholders and translating the guidelines into enforceable regulations.
The move is expected to restore confidence in land registration and protect legitimate landowners from fraud. The Ministry urged stakeholders to familiarize themselves with the new guidelines.
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