Focus on Africa: Uganda Lesson Brief, The Compulsory Acquisition of Privately-Held Land by Government

This lesson brief focuses on four issues - compulsory acquisition uses; procedures for exercising this authority; compensation; and redress - which are central to balancing private land rights and compulsory land acquisition for public purposes.It is part of the Uganda module on the Focus on Africa: Land Tenure and Property Rights online educational tool. Uganda's Constitution empowers the government to acquire private land in a customary manner for land in a customary manner for specific public interest purposes. Frequent use of this authority (or the threat of its use) can weaken tenure and reduce incentives to invest in land. Yet, excessive restrictions on this authority can jeopardize public interests.