To What Extent Have the Existing Land Tenure Systems Affected Urban Land Development?

This research sought to investigate the extent to which the existing tenure systems affect urban land development. In this research, different land tenure systems were identified in the urban areas, development patterns on different land tenure systems were described, constraints imposed by land tenure systems on development were examined and services together with the nature of housing on different land tenure systems were investigated.In Uganda, urban areas develop in pockets compared to other countries with a uniform land tenure system. This research sought to investigate the extent to which the existing tenure systems affect urban land development. In this research, different land tenure systems were identified in the urban areas, development patterns on different land tenure systems were described, constraints imposed by land tenure systems on development were examined and services together with the nature of housing on different land tenure systems were investigated. Observations were made in Mbarara and Arua Municipality on the nature of developments on registered land and non-registered land. In each municipality, some areas were observed to be more orderly and better spatially organized than others for example in Mbarara municipality, Kamukuzi area, which is a predominantly residential area under leasehold and freehold tenure, was found to be more spatially organized than Kisenyi, a residential area for the poor under customary tenure. Houses on untitled land were mainly one roomed houses, constructed from inferior materials such as mud/wattle and grass well as housing on titled land were one, two and three bedroom houses and constructed with expensive materials such as burnt bricks, iron sheets and tiles. Areas on untitled land had a limited access to piped water, electricity, roads, education facilities, drainage, garbage collection points, and toilets compared to titled land that had better services. Formalization resurveying of land for documentation should be done in a participatory incremental manner so as to avoid possible resistance from the settlers. This would enable the planning of the areas the people live in