This website can exclusively reveal that intense internal strife and alarming allegations have engulfed Uganda’s Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. The feud involves top ministry officials including Cabinet Minister Hon. Judith Nabakooba, State Minister for Lands Hon. Sam Mayanja, Minister of State for Urban Development Hon. Persis Namuganza, and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Dorcus Okalany.
According to a highly placed insider who spoke on condition of anonymity, tensions have reached a boiling point, particularly between Hon. Sam Mayanja and Hon. Judith Nabakooba. The insider alleges that Hon. Mayanja believes an attempt was made to poison him—an accusation he reportedly directs toward Hon. Nabakooba.
Following this alleged incident, Hon. Mayanja has since opted to operate remotely from his home, avoiding his official ministry office. He now conducts his duties via email correspondence, according to sources, citing security concerns.
Despite being technically superior in matters of land, Mayanja and Nabakooba are reportedly locked in a power struggle. Ministry insiders claim that if one of the two ministers makes a ruling on a land dispute, the other frequently nullifies it—creating a stalemate and stifling decision-making within the ministry.
Further complicating matters, Permanent Secretary Dorcus Okalany is accused of cultivating a network of favored land registrars in key districts such as Wakiso, Mukono, and parts of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area. These individuals have allegedly overstayed their mandated tour of duty, creating what sources describe as a “land mafia cartel” involved in illegal activities including double titling.
In a related controversy, a blockchain land management system proposed by Hajji Baker Mugaino, which was designed to curb corruption, was reportedly undermined from within. The same internal clique is believed to have orchestrated Mugaino’s contested indictment by the Inspector General of Government, Hon. Beti Olive Namisango Kamya.
Critics question Hon. Kamya’s impartiality, noting her previous tenure as a line minister in the same ministry. It is alleged that several of the current problems began under her watch, including the rise of key figures such as Mr. Kulata, who has yet to face accountability despite his alleged role in systemic irregularities.
Land policy experts are now calling for radical reform. Their recommendation? Freeze the operations of the Ministry of Lands, require all staff to reapply for their positions, and send them through intensive refresher training to defuse what they term a looming “land time bomb.”
