MINISTRY OF LANDS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPMENTS ON COMPUTERIZATION OF THE LAND REGISTRY

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR
Preliminary Actions
Re-organization of the Registry workspace and new shelving to improve records management, access, storage and security. The improved Registry workflow management has made Registrars more accessible to the Clients when necessary and backroom operations moved to the backroom; Fencing and improved security on the outside; Reorganization of the strong rooms to create space for scanning operations; Dusting, sorting and records rehabilitation and reconsolidation; Verification of authenticity of land records; Reorganization of root titles; and Introduction of biometric control to limit access of clients and un authorised staff into the Registries. Administration System which will enable reduction in the time and cost for carrying out land transactions Aerial Photography was carried out to produce base maps for use in checking, verifying and updating the situation on the ground. As part of this exercise, high resolution aerial photographs for all the six urban areas of Jinja, Mukono, Wakiso, Kampala, Masaka and Mbarara has been produced to enable production of base map information for planning and other development programs in the urban areas. Data conversion from manual land records into agreed digital format is being carried out. As part of this all the cadastral maps for the districts covering 60 70% of the active land market have been scanned. Other on-going initiatives include; Construction and refurbishment of 12 Regional Land Offices; Refurbishment of the Storage and Archival Center for backup copies for land administration records; Construction of the National Land Information Centre to support the LIS; Increasing the supply of qualified land administrations, surveyors and other land management staff at the School of Survey and re-opening of a new Resource Center; Review of existing Land Laws and development of new ones to support the computerization process; and Training and capacity building in support of the computerization.

Hon. Daudi Migereko Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development

Hon. Sarah Achieng Opendi State Minister for Lands

Basic Computerization

Mr. Gabindadde - Musoke Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development

Sarah Kulata Basangwa Commissioner for Land Registration

Rampant subdivisions, amendments and false survey information.

omputerization of the Land Registry involves capturing information on land and land transactions and storing it using computers for purposes of quick retrieval, access and utilization, for effective and efficient delivery of land services. Since 1908, the Land Registry has run on a manual system of records keeping which, as the number of records grows, has been affected by problems of speed, inefficiency, inaccuracy, and lack of adequate internal controls. The manual systems have been found to be prone to human error. For instance, issues of missing land records have slowed down the process and wastes time of clients. The manual systems are slow to operate, laborious and unable to store large amounts of data efficiently. Land Administration Staff spend a lot of their time on mechanical, repetitive and clerical tasks rather than liaising with Clients to answer to their needs and requirements. The Manual system in the Registry has struggled to cope with the recent explosion in information requests and registration of transactions. It has found it hard to cope with the volume of work arising out of the increased land transactions, hence making the Clients inquiries timeconsuming and frustrating, leading to public outcry. In September 2003, the NRM Government took a decision to begin the implementation of computerizing the Land registry. The aim was to address the shortcomings of the manual system, restore the integrity of the Land Registry and ensure modernization of Land Registry operations to meet the needs of a growing economy.

Basic Computerization done so far includes capturing the existing records, in digital format into a computer database and indexing to facilitate the search and retrieval of the data in digital form. Basic computerization has covered land records for Kampala, Wakiso and Mpigi Districts. Other activities which have supported the computerization include: Introduction of a telephone Help line to assist clients (0414373511); Initiating the recording of Land Agents; Developing a Clients Charter and Information Guide on the Ministry's services; A re-designed ministry Website with online access to land transaction forms and other important information; Training in basic computerization, customer care and database management for Registry Staff; Establishment of a records center for root titles and other important historical documents valuable for resolving land disputes; Introduction of new Land Administration Procedures, including requirements to submit passport photographs, e-mail and telephone mobile contacts.

Verification & scanning of land titles by the Registry staff There has also been substantial improvement in the delivery of land services, such as: Reduced time taken to complete a search from more than 15 days to between 1 day and 5 working days; Elimination of a backlog of unprocessed land registration transactions; Registration of mortgages to banks and other financial institutions reduced from 1 month to 5 working days.

The implementation of the LIS will lead to; Reduce time and costs in land transactions; Provide in-built security measures for ensuring accuracy, reliability of registry records and ensure their integrity; Easy identification and prevention of fraud and illegal transaction; Facilitate search and verification of title information in the shortest possible time; Facilitate monitoring and analysis of market and rental values of land and property; and Provide special online access to courts, banks and financial institutions

DEVELOPMENTS UNDERWAY
Rolling out implementation of the Land Information System (LIS)
A Business Process Re-engineering exercise was carried out aimed at creating a more efficient and effective workflow for the Land

The result of these interventions has enabled the Land Registry to generate computer related information on ownership of plots as well as historical information such as changes in property ownership and encumbrances.

Scanning of maps in progress

Benefits of Computerization
The system will be more responsive to the needs and demands of the citizens and business clients; Computerization will prevent, reduce or eliminate backdoor transactions, forgeries and graft; There will be more efficient and speedy registration of transactions; The problems of missing land records will be eliminated; There will be a decrease in the cost and space required for storing land records; There will be simplification of the preparation of disaster copies; There will be faster resolution of land disputes; There will be online access to the information in the Registry with reduced interfacing with the public in order to reduce soliciting of unofficial fees. Customer Care Centers will be set up as part of the process to facilitate land administration transactions and speedy response to customer needs. There will be a dedicated public awareness campaign to ensure the public are aware of land administration procedures and the correct official fees required; Implementation of the LIS will eliminate the following problems which are experienced under the manual system: Multiple allocations of plots; Fraud and forgeries; Land Use Abuses; Encroachment on road reserves; Wrong and overlapping Surveys; Inefficient revenue generation and loss of revenue; Digital image of a scanned historical map drawn in the 1920s

i. Maximize the use of land assets as collateral for development; ii. Lower transaction costs by avoiding duplication, fraud and illegal dealings; iii. Lower investment risk and better public-private sector decision making; iv. Have a better custodianship for land records; and v. Equitable and inclusive access to land information by all citizens and stakeholders. To realize these benefits and to sustain computerized land registration in Uganda it will be necessary to build and sustain the following: A well trained and facilitated staff; Resources to ensure continuous supply of electricity and material for all Land Offices; A sustained public awarenes and information campaign on the computerisation process and benefits. Political support to pass the necessary legislation to support the LIS legal framework; and Speedy completion of the e-Government infrastructure to ensure LIS connectivity. The Ministry therefore calls on all stakeholders and citizens to support the efforts to fully computerize the Land Registry.

As a result of comprehensive computerization Uganda will be able to:

Before the re-organisation and rehabilitation of the land records

The new Land Record's Centre after the re-organisation and rehabilitation

The rst phase of the 13 newly built Regional Lands Ofces for Gulu and Arua to cater for delivery of decentralised land services in the regions.

The land reforms are being implemented under the Second Private Sector Competitiveness Project (PSCP II) a Government of Uganda / World Bank funded Project managed by the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU)
For further information contact the Ministry's Spokesperson (Dennis Obbo) P. O. Box 7096 Kampala Email: dennisfo@mlhud.go.ug Website: www.mlhud.go.ug Tel: 0414 373511 Fax: 0414 230879