Government has resumed issuing Special Certificates of Title under new guidelines aimed at preventing land fraud and protecting property owners.
The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development suspended the issuance of the certificates on 14 August 2026 following complaints that the process was being exploited by fraudsters to take over land belonging to other people.
Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba lifted the suspension on 20 October and announced new guidelines governing applications, verification and issuance of the certificates.
A Special Certificate of Title is issued to replace an existing certificate of title in circumstances provided for under the law. However, the ministry says gaps in the procedures have made it possible for fraudulent claims to affect land that is already registered in other people’s names.
The new guidelines require government surveyors to verify applications. These will include surveyors from the Ministry of Lands and district staff surveyors, who work under the supervision of the Commissioner for Surveys and Mapping.
Nabakooba said surveyors who submit reports that contradict the actual situation on the ground will be held accountable.
The verification process is intended to ensure that the details in the ministry’s land records match the actual location and boundaries of the property before a replacement certificate is issued.
The minister cited a case in Wakiso District in which the issuance of a Special Certificate of Title affected about 200 existing land titles.
She said fraudsters sometimes follow the formal procedures for obtaining a title, only for the resulting document to overlap land that is already registered in other people’s names.
The new guidelines are intended to close these loopholes and strengthen the reliability of the land registry.
Applicants must also respect the notice period provided for under the law. Nabakooba said the law requires a minimum 30-day notice period and warned against issuing certificates within a day simply because an applicant wants to speed up the process.
She explained that the process can take longer than 30 days where additional verification is necessary.
The changes will not automatically invalidate Special Certificates of Title issued before the new guidelines took effect.
Nabakooba said people with concerns about previously issued certificates should submit their complaints to the ministry for investigation. The government will handle such cases individually rather than subjecting every old certificate to the new requirements.
The ministry plans to consult relevant stakeholders before turning the guidelines into formal regulations.
Nabakooba said the reforms are part of wider efforts to eliminate corruption in land transactions, protect property owners and make the country’s land registration system more credible.
She also expressed concern that efforts to cancel titles obtained over protected areas had sometimes been interrupted by court orders, making it difficult for the ministry to complete the process.
