Mailo
Mailo is a unique form of land tenure in Uganda. Around 9 per cent of the country's land is held under the mailo system, which is similar to freehold. It was set up by the 1900 Buganda Agreement. Idi Amin then made all land publicly owned, and the 1995 Constitution of Uganda reintroduced mailo.
History
In the
Buganda Kingdom land because it had helped the colonisers conquer the country.[1][2] The Bugandan aristocratic class was awarded land parcels broken up into plots of square miles, hence the name "mailo". These parcels came with farmers in situ, therefore the mailo system produced private owners for customary land, whilst the tenants continued to work the land. In 1928, amendments were made to give the tenants more rights.[2]
After the
Mailo ownership of registered land means holding title to it in perpetuity and thus it is similar to freehold. Mailo exists in western and central Uganda, with an estimated 9 per cent of the land mass being owned in this way.Bukerere is one place where land is still owned by mailo.[5]
References
- ^ a b Stickler, M. Mercedes (2012). Governance of Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Uganda: The role of the Uganda Investment Authority. World Resources Institute.
- ^ a b c d Ali, Daniel; Duponchel, Marguerite (2018). Shortcomings to overlapping land rights and a way forward: the case of Mailo land in Central Uganda. World Bank.
- ^ What the law says on evictions. Kampala: Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. 2017.
- ^ The Private Mailo Tenure System. Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). 2019.
- ^ "Bukerere, the virgin area with investment potential". Daily Monitor. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2021.