ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF UGANDA
KAMPALA CAMPUS
SEMSTER ONE
COURSE WORK: LAND LAW 1
LECTURER: MR. NKUBI JAMES
GROUP: 4
NO. NAMES REGISTRATTION NUMBER
1. MPIIMA CHRYZESTOM 221-053011-21202
2 OKANYA ISAAC 221-053012-21753
3 WALUSIMBI MOSES WALTER 223-053012-25811
4 MUMBYA MURUSHIDÌI 223-053012-25325
5 AYIRE HADIJAH 223-053012-25774
6. ONEN MARY VALERIA 223-053011-25519
7. KABUGO GERALD 223-053012-25841
8. NABAKOOZA ZULAIKA TETELI 223-053012-25447
9. HAMBA GRACE MARIANN 223-053012-25211
10. WAJJARASU HUSSEIN 223-053012-25595
11 KALUNGABA FATUMA 223-053012-25784
12 NANYANZI PHIONA 223-053012-25818
13 AINEBYONA TRISAH 223-053011-25350
14 BYAMUKAMA BAGUMA 223-053012-25843
ALVINE
15 NAGASHA SHANNITA 223-053012-25521
16 KATENDE LOUIS 223-053012-25851
17 KIGUNDU KHALID 223-053011-25264
18 SSEKIKOFU SAID 223-053012-25591
19 MAGUMBA ISMAIL 223-053012-25589
20 AMUKADE SANDRA PAULINE 223-053012- 25054
21 NDIWALANA RAMATHAN 223-053012-25654
22 KYOMUHENDO AFUSA 223-053012-25058
23 KWESIGA VICTOR 223-053012-25741
24 HABIBU NOHA 223-053012-27750
25 NABUNYA AISHA 223-053012-25330
26 NNAMIIRO KYAZIKE IRENE 223-053012-25193
27 NAKAGOLO PATIENCE 223-053012-25597
28 NDAGIJJE RONALD 223-053012-25479
29 WALIGO SHARIFFU 223-053012-25537
30 BOGERE SHARON SHEILA 223-053012-27698
31 SSENGENDO USAMA 223-053012-25906
32 SSEBULIBA ASHIRAF 223-053012-25062
33 ANGURA JORDAN 223-053012-25586
34 BYAMUKAMA ISAAC 223-053012-25320
35 NSUBUGA KEVIN 223-053012-25812
36 KUTESA AISHA 223-053012-25474
37 KAUMA ZAKIYA 223-053012-25415
38 KYAMULABI JANET 222-053012-24904
39 MUHANGI ANORLD 220-083011-19368
QUESTION 2
Discuss critically, how the 1975 Land ‘Reform’ Decree revolutionized land ownership
rights in Uganda. Would you rate this law as ‘reformist’? What exactly did it reform, if you
hold such an opinion?
PART 1
TITLE………………………………………………………………P1
INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………P1
PART 2
2.0 BACKGROUND OF THE 1975 LAND REFORM DECREE……P1
2.1 PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD……………………………………….P1
2.2 COLONIAL PERIOD (1894-1962)……………………………….P2
2.3 POST COLONIAL (1962-1975)…………………………………..P2
PART 3
3.0 LMPACTS OF THE 1975 LAND REFORM DECREE
3.1 IMPACTS OF THE REFORMS……………………………………….P2
a) POSITIVES……………………………………………………………….P3
b) NEGATIVES……………………………………………………………..P3
PART 4
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………..P3
THE BACKGROUND OF THE 1975 LAND REFORM DECREE ON LAND OWNERSHIP
ITS IMPACTS AND THE VARIOUS LAND TENURE EVOLUTIONS BEFORE
COLONIALISM AND POST COLONIALISM ERA.
PART1
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Reform refers to the process of making changes or improvements to something, especially
to correct or eliminate flaws, abuses, or inefficiencies. It involves modifying or transforming
existing systems, policies, institutions, or practices to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness,
equity, justice, transparency and accountability.
1.1A revolution can be referred to as the sudden fundamental changes that a nation may undergo
through to foster change in regards to the status quo of political economic and social affairs of a
nation due to continuous forces of liberalism and nationalism or selfish seeking by some actors
who may choose to led the revolution.
PART2
2.0 BACKGROUND OF THE 1975 LAND REFORM DECREE
2.1 PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
a) COMMUNAL TENURE
Under communal tenure land was vested in the ruler to be held in trust for the members of that
tribe. This system was common among the Baganda, Banyoro, Batooro etc.
b) CLAN TENURE
Hereunder land was owned accordingly to clans. People of the same clan owned a particular
piece of land. This was common in Acholi, Kigezi etc.
Under this clan system, land was divided further to different families or groups of individuals
that were given rights over particular pieces of land for agricultural purposes or other uses.
c) Nomadic Tenure
This was common under the nomadic pastoralists where grazing rights were vested in members
of a particular tribe who could utilize a particular field without individual rights being given to
anyone in particular.
This system of land tenure was common in Karamoja where people could freely graze their cattle
without restrictions whatsoever.
2.2 Colonial Period (1894-1962)
In 1894 Uganda was declared a British protectorate following the resolutions of the 1884 Berlin
congress that sat and solved the scramble and partitioning of [Link] was resolved that Uganda
and Kenya become British protectorate.
British colonial administration introduced the following changes in land ownership.
In 1900, the British signed Buganda agreement which resulted into division of bugandas land
into mailo for buganda and crown land for the british.
Mailo system (1928): granted individual freehold titles to large landowners. This system
was introduced as a result of obusulu envujjo laws of 1928 that came to solve the
grievances of the tenants (bibanja holders) with the land [Link] called mailo land
because land was divided in miles thus the kiganda dialect mailo.
Crown land. This was government-controlled land for public [Link] was put in the
hands of the governor who represented the queen. He also over saw its distribution and he
had powers to do any decision over it.
2.3 Post-Independence (1962-1975)
In 1962, Uganda finally got her independence from her colonial master, the land policy used by
the colonial master was maintained by the leaders by then until in 1975 after iddi amin had over
thrown Apollo Milton Obote in 1971 and came up with the 1975 land reform decree.
The 1975 Land Reform Decree of Uganda was a significant policy introduced by Idi Amin's
government, aiming to redistribute land from large-scale landlords to small-scale farmers and
promote agricultural development. This decree was part of a broader effort to address the
country's complex land tenure system, which was shaped by customary practices, the colonial-
era mailo system, and post-colonial policies.
The land decree had the following objectives in general
Nationalization of Land
Creation of Land Committees
To redistribute land to small-scale farmers and reduce inequality.
To promote agricultural development and increase productivity.
To abolish the mailo system and introduce freehold tenure
PART 3
3.1 IMPACTS OF THE 1975 LAND REFOREM DECREE
A. POSITIVE IMPACTS
Empowerment of Peasants.
Reduction of Landlord Power over tenants.
Economic growth due to increased production.
Increase in production as more people got access to land.
Unemployment was checked as most people could engage in agriculture.
B. NEGATIVE IMPACTS
Abolishing private land rights and vesting it to the Uganda Land Commission.
Converting land tenure, it converted all free land including Mailo into leaseholds. It also
converted freehold land of charitable and religious institution into 199 years leases.
It changed the status of tenants, the decree abolished the busuulu and envujju land
1928,and the Ankole landlord and tenant law and Toro landlord and tenant law of 1937.
This made all tenants under these laws at sufferance meaning they had no transferable
interest in the land.
The decree made evictions of customary occupants common without adequate
compensation.
Environmental degradation due to unregulated land use.
Customary land rights and traditional management practices
Women's access to land and resources
Social justice and equity in land distribution
PART 4
In conclusion, while the 1975 Land Reform Decree introduced significant changes to land
ownership rights in Uganda, its classification as ‘reformist’ is fallacious. It attempted to address
longstanding inequalities but ultimately fell short in terms of implementation and outcomes. It did
reform certain structures of land ownership but often led to new problems rather than resolving
existing ones. Thus, it embodies the complexities of land reform initiatives, where intentions and
results can diverge significantly as discussed above.
