From August 25 to 29, 2025, Uganda marked its 9th National Land Awareness Week (LAW) under the theme: “Promoting Land Rights and Sustainable Land Use for Inclusive and Sustainable Development.” This year, the spotlight was on the Bugisu and Sebei sub-regions, where vulnerable communities, including persons with disabilities, face acute land rights challenges.
In collaboration with National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), the We are Able! (WaA!) programme played a key role in ensuring that the voices of persons with disabilities were central in the week’s activities. NUDIPU used this platform to mobilise dialogues, legal clinics and to petition the Ministry of Lands over persistent land injustices affecting persons with disabilities.
Together with local partners, the consortium is working to promote access to land and food security for persons with disabilities by empowering grassroots advocacy through Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). The launch event in Mbale City drew government officials, CSOs, community leaders and residents in a public procession and opening ceremony. Over 4,500 participants are estimated to benefit from awareness sessions, legal aid and accountability forums throughout the week. Local authorities acknowledged the prevalence of duplicate land registrations, boundary disputes and fraud, and urged stronger institutional mechanisms to protect marginalised groups.
A team comprising Chairpersons of District Unions of Persons with Disabilities from the Bugisu and Sebei subregions, led by Mr. Sabila Mustafa, a Board Member of NUDIPU, identified land-related challenges affecting persons with disabilities. The initiative was facilitated by Ms. Lillian Achola, Executive Director of LANDnet Uganda and a legal expert in land matters. Ms. Achola emphasised the need for evidence-based advocacy in addressing systemic land issues. “We can be simple and focus on a few key issues backed by evidence. This way, the Government is more likely to act and respond to our concerns.”
Through the week, ActionAid Uganda and partners ran legal clinics in Kween and Kapchorwa, reached 400 residents with land rights information, and collected cases to include in a unified petition presented at the closing in Mbale. Key themes raised included women’s land rights, displacement from ancestral land and exclusion of persons with disabilities from land governance processes.
NUDIPU and WaA! emphasised that failure to deliberately include persons with disabilities in land policy and practice risks leaving them further behind. As the week closed, the petition was handed over to the Ministry of Lands, serving as a call to action to translate pledges into concrete reforms that secure land rights for all.
Call to Action by NUDIPU:
On behalf of the CEO NUDIPU, Martin Ssennoga, programme manager, called the different stakeholders to take immediate actions:
Government of Uganda:
- Conduct targeted public sensitisation on the land rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Ensure land services and information are available in accessible formats and at affordable, reachable locations.
- Promote and enforce anti-discrimination laws and inclusive policies.
Civil Society and Development Partners:
- Continue to advocate for equal land rights for Persons with Disabilities and support OPDs in their advocacy and awareness efforts.
Families and Communities:
- Enhancing access to land for Persons with Disabilities will enable their participation in economic activities, improve livelihoods, and contribute to national development and food security.
The WaA! programme reaffirmed its role as a catalyst for amplifying the voices of persons with disabilities in land governance, ensuring their rights are not sidelined in critical national dialogues. Its active participation in Uganda’s Land Awareness Week demonstrated how inclusive advocacy can shape policies that guarantee equitable access to land and justice for all.