Breaking: Land-related cases increase by 67% in Uganda – Police report reveals.
By the Witness Radio team.
Kampala, Uganda; Land fraud cases in Uganda rose sharply in 2025, highlighting growing concerns over land governance and access to justice.
According to the 2025 Annual Crime Report (ACR), 663 land fraud cases were reported, underscoring systemic issues like weak enforcement and corruption that hinder land governance and access to justice.
The report further reveals significant gaps in the handling of these cases. Of the 663 reported incidents, 398 remain under investigation, raising concerns about delays in the process. Police submitted 333 cases to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal guidance.
However, 145 complainants were advised to seek civil redress, while only 74 cases have been taken to court so far.
The police report states that the most common offences related to land fraud in Uganda include fraudulent procurement of certificates of title, obtaining registration by false pretenses, criminal trespass, forgery, and obtaining money by false pretenses.
The rise in land fraud cases comes amid increasing pressure on land across Uganda for development, as disputes over ownership, documentation, and access continue to intensify.
The Annual Crime Report also shows that police recorded 196,405 criminal cases across the country in 2025, with land-related offences rising sharply.
Experts have long identified systemic challenges in land administration systems, such as weak enforcement, corruption, and power imbalances, which should concern land officials and policymakers as they hinder justice and fuel land conflicts.
The low number of cases reaching court, compared to those reported, highlights significant barriers to justice, raising concerns about whether land victims can effectively seek redress and the overall effectiveness of criminal investigations into land-related offences. This situation underscores the need to protect vulnerable landowners and communities.
Commenting on the report, Jeff Wokulira Ssebaggala, Witness Radio’s Team Leader, said the findings on land-related cases are a stark reminder of the urgency to strengthen and facilitate justice systems that investigate and prosecute land-related criminal cases to protect poor communities’ land from forced land evictions.
“The rising number of land fraud cases calls for urgent initiatives, including strengthening land registration systems, improving investigations, and promoting equitable land ownership, access, and use for the poor, and most importantly, promoting access to justice for local communities.
