LEMU hailed for enhancing land security 

District Police Commander of Dokolo, SP Patience Baganzi, has hailed Land and Equity Movement in Uganda (LEMU) for advocating for land rights in the country.

SP Baganzi made the remarks while attending Lango Regional Multistakeholder Dialogue on the Use of Customary Land Documents or Certificates of Customary Ownership (CCO) as collateral for bank loans on September 26 at Dokolo district natural resource hall.

She said that through LEMU, customary land security has limited encroachers from trespassing on the already titled lands in the district.

The DPC added that most of the cases in the district are land-related. “In relation to Certificate of Customary Ownership (CCO) vis-a-vis financial institutions, I am glad that when we are handling the CCOs, getting the loan consent is paramount.

“In the security perspective, when we look at other land tenure systems where one or two people can go and at the end of the day get a loan – with customary it is different,” she said.

Under customary ownership, SP Baganzi noted that the vulnerable, especially the children and women, are safe because consent is paramount. “It may take time processing the loan but where consent is a must for so many people, it is a credit in the security perspective.”

She added that the CCOs have “really helped us in customary tenure security, where at least it limits the encroachers from trespassing on the already titled land, unlike where customary land is not titled. So, all in all, big ups to LEMU.”

Speaking at the same event, Odongo Tonny Ocen, the LC5 vice chairperson of Dokolo, said ever since LEMU started their operations in the district they have never registered any serious issues in the community or at the district.

“If it has ever happened, then I think it has been managed at a level that has not reached my office – the office of my boss.”

He urged the dialogue participants to understand the information before they disseminate it.

“What you have not understood, that idea you have, bring it out to be discussed. At the level of the district, we are guided by communities because your ideas, information, yand our opinion iarewhat gguideour direction to give you bthe est services.”