No land, No voice: The struggle for women’s land rights in Zombo

Zombo | In the rolling hills of Zombo district, the fight for women’s land rights rages quietly but fiercely. For many women, particularly widows, the right to own and control land remains a distant dream, stifled by deeply ingrained cultural norms and traditional practices that favor male inheritance.

These deeply ingrained cultural norms frequently deprive women of their land rights, pushing them to the margins of their communities.

“Less than 0.5% of women own land in Zombo, and fewer than 10% have access to it,” he said. These figures paint a stark picture of the systemic challenges women face, where land ownership is not just a legal hurdle but a profound cultural one.

Without land, many women are denied economic stability, independence, and decision-making power within their homes and communities.

For widows like Alice Nyakidi of Ayidi village, Pakia parish in Warr sub-county, the struggle is personal and painful. After her husband’s death, her in-laws seized five of the seven acres she had inherited, leaving her with just two acres to support her eight children.

“My late husband inherited this land from his father, and I have lived here for over 50 years,” Nyakidi said, her voice tinged with despair. Yet, a local council court ruled in favor of her in-laws, ignoring her decades-long connection to the land.

Similarly, 73-year-old Rumana Akumu finds herself in a similar plight. After her husband’s death 15 years ago, her in-laws claimed the 10 acres she once called home.

“Now, I have no land left,” she said, surrounded by the children she still struggles to provide for.

James Oyullu Oruna, the Zombo District LC5 chairperson, emphasized the deeply entrenched nature of these injustices.

“Traditionally, land is viewed as a male asset, closely tied to lineage and family legacy,” he explained. “When a woman loses her husband, in-laws often seize the land, driven by the promise of financial gain. Today, 80% of the women in Zombo merely hold land in trust, with no true ownership or voice over their property.”

Efforts to change this narrative are slowly gaining momentum. Binen Selemiah Abeka, the LC3 chairperson of Warr sub-county, noted that as part of the 2025 Land Camp, nine women have received Customary Certificates of Ownership (CCOs), supported by the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) and the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development.

“We must challenge the outdated belief that women cannot inherit land,” he said firmly.

Ronal Bagaga, the Program Manager of ESAFF, echoed this sentiment, outlining broader efforts to empower women and small-scale farmers through land rights education and support.

“We aim to register at least 1,000 CCOs in Arua and Zombo as part of the PvP Project,” he said, adding that these efforts align with the national land policy, which seeks to boost land registration to 70% over the next decade.

Festus Ayikobua, the Resident District Commissioner of Zombo, noted that land conflicts in the district have become increasingly common. He urged landowners to safeguard their land to ensure that future generations can still access it.

“In many cases, people use their customary certificates of ownership (CCOs) as collateral for loans, but if they fail to repay, they risk losing their land as financial institutions seek to recover their funds,” he explained.

According to Ayikobua, the sub-counties most affected by land disputes include Paida, Nyapea, and Warr.

Without immediate and sustained efforts to change the status quo, countless women’s voices will go unheard, and their rights to the land they call home will be forever out of reach.