Published on 18/01/2025
Minister of State for Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Metropolitan Affairs, Kyofatogabye Kabuye, has called on the government to enforce stricter laws allowing compulsory land acquisition for public projects to accelerate national development and improve the country’s transport network.
Speaking before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee during the presentation of the KCCA Budget Framework Paper for the 2025/26 financial year, Kyofatogabye criticized Uganda’s legal hurdles on land acquisition, which he described as obstructive to infrastructure projects.

“The key barrier in expanding our road network is the land question. Government must stop pleading and take decisive action. If we need a road, we should break ground and build it—compensation issues can follow,” Kyofatogabye stated.
Kyofatogabye is the second Cabinet member to push for compulsory land reforms in two weeks, following Minister of State for Planning Amos Lugoloobi, who urged Parliament to back reforms aimed at allowing land acquisition in the public interest without prolonged court battles overcompensation. Lugoloobi argued that Uganda was incurring significant costs due to delayed projects and idle loans.
“We need reforms to secure the right of way for public projects. We have borrowed concessional loans, but interest payments are mounting because of delays caused by unresolved compensation issues,” Lugoloobi said.
In 2017, a similar proposal to amend Article 26 of the Constitution faced strong public resistance. Critics argued the reforms would fuel land grabbing and cited past instances where public land was privatized despite being acquired for development purposes.
Kyofatogabye highlighted ongoing challenges, citing the Bugolobi-Port Bell Road drainage project, where a developer is demanding UGX 3 billion to allow KCCA to demolish part of his wall, despite the land belonging to KCCA.
“I told him, ‘If you block this drainage, your property will be destroyed,’ but he insists on compensation. This is public land,” Kyofatogabye remarked.
The discussion also touched on the housing crisis in Kampala. Kampala Central MP Muhammad Nsereko criticized KCCA for failing to address the issue and urged the Authority to adopt Nairobi’s model of public-private partnerships for affordable housing projects.
Nsereko proposed, “The government should partner with private developers to build affordable housing units on public land. This would not only reduce the housing deficit but also generate revenue for KCCA.”
Kyofatogabye supported the idea but revealed that poor decisions by past leaders, including the mass leasing of public land, had left KCCA with limited space for development projects.
“The land meant for public utilities was sold off by the Kampala District Land Board. We lack space for schools or road expansion because of those decisions,” Kyofatogabye explained.
He further noted that most Kampala roads were designed with narrow corridors, assuming landowners would willingly provide space for expansions, which has complicated modern road upgrades requiring drainage, walkways, streetlights, and utility ducts.
“We are not building new roads; we are only upgrading existing corridors. Unfortunately, even those need extra space for modern urban design standards,” he added.