Sheik Musa Khalil, the Acholi Chief Khadi, has urged residents of Palukere parish, Atiak Sub County in Amuru district to register their land instead of continuing to own it communally.
Sheik Khalil said conversion of land ownership from customary tenure to a registered land will fend off the government interest to amend the 1998 Land Act.
Addressing the residents of Palukere parish in Atiak Sub County during a consultative meeting organized by Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) on land conflict mitigation on Thursday, Khalil suggested that the proposal by cabinet to amend the Land Act(1998) could have been because government see’s chunks of land whose ownership is unclear.
Khalil who is also the Vice Chairman of the inter-religious group, ARLPI, adds that if ownership of the land in the area becomes clear, it will make it difficult for government to have intentions of acquiring such chunks of land.
The Sheik said with Member of Parliament who can easily be bought, the land law can be easily changed to benefit a few.
He urged the Acholi to register their land and not wait until the land act is amended.
Most land in Acholi is communally owned by families and clans.
At the same event in Palukere, the Amuru District Senior Land Officer, Susan Aber, noted that registering and acquiring certificate for it will not only serve as prove of ownership but it will also go a long way in solving the rampant land conflict in Acholi.
Lyandro Komakech, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gulu Municipality has warned that the proposal by government to amended the land act to allow it acquire land without compensation owners will lead to instability in Uganda.
