Land wrangles, evictions and, at times, death is a common occurrence in most parts of Uganda especially during this period as the country continues to fight the second wave of Covid-19.
The actions of land grabbers have left thousands homeless and property worth millions destroyed.
However, in response to the escalating land conflicts, the government has established a call Centre to help Ugandans report any cases of possible evictions and land grabbing.
Speaking to the media on Sunday in Kampala ,Judith Nabakooba,the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development,said one of the key tasks she was assigned was to bring an end to the rampant illegal land evictions in the country.
“During my term in this office, I have therefore prioritised the issue of land evictions. These illegal evictions have made life so difficult for many Ugandans and many families throughout the country are living under the fear of the unknown. This is because of the constant threats to their homes and gardens, ”she said.
She said the other area of prioritisation is streamlining all major services by utilising new technology innovations and her office has received so many complaints about the difficulties people face while accessing the different services.
She said a lot of the transactions and services are disconnected making it very frustrating for many people adding that streamlining the operations of the entire land sector is therefore a core priority as well.
“It is against this background that the Ministry has decided to put in place a national call center on land issues. The call center has a Toll-Free Line that is now available for the public to call on urgent issues of land and this call center is being operated by a team of well-trained personnel with good communication skills to engage with the public, ”she said.
She said commissioning this call center is part of their long-term strategy to improve service delivery through the use of information technologies.