A dedicated team comprising Chairpersons of District Unions of Persons with Disabilities from the Busigu and Sebei sub-regions, led by Mr. Sabila Mustafa a Board Member of the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), recently embarked on an important mission to identify land-related challenges affecting Persons with Disabilities in their communities.
The initiative was facilitated by Ms. Lillian Achola, Executive Director of LandNet and a respected legal expert in land matters. During the engagement, Ms. Achola emphasized the need for evidence-based advocacy in addressing systemic land issues. “We can be simple and focus on a few key issues backed by evidence. This way, the Government is more likely to act and respond to our concerns.”
Through joint dialogue and consultations, the team identified several pressing land-related issues disproportionately affecting persons with disabilities. These included:
- High land registration fees that are unaffordable for many Persons with Disabilities, effectively excluding them from land ownership and legal protection.
- Lack of representation of persons with disabilities on District Land Boards and Area Land Committees, which limits their influence in land governance and decision-making processes.
- Increased vulnerability during natural disasters such as landslides and floods, where Persons with Disabilities face significant barriers in evacuation and access to accessible shelters and aid.
- Discriminatory family land allocation , where Persons with Disabilities are often given little or no land, deepening their economic marginalization.
- Land grabbing , particularly targeting land owned by Persons with Disabilities, due to their limited ability to defend or reclaim it.
To address these concerns, the team now spearheaded by Mr. Denis Odwar from NUDIPU alongside Ms. Achola is currently analyzing the findings and drafting a formal petition. This petition, to be presented by Persons with Disabilities themselves, aims to ensure the identified issues are officially recognized and addressed.
The petition will be submitted to the Minister for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development during the closing ceremony of the National Land Awareness Week, marking a significant step toward inclusive land governance and justice for Persons with Disabilities.
