The Right to Own Property: Towards a just and fair Compensation in Uganda's Oil Sector (original) (raw)
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Despite the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda which gives powers to the people and every citizen a right to own property under Article 26. The present Land Acquisition Act cap 226 gives government lee way to acquire people’s land at whatever terms it wants, even if it means violating the fundamental rights of those affected. This law has continued to act as tool violating citizens’ property rights. As a result of the above Act, thousands of citizens continue to lose their property in the name of undefined development. This frequent use of authority by government to acquire peoples land with or without compensation is further weakening tenure and reducing the incentives to invest in land. There is need to balance development with citizens’ rights. Putting in place a new law that promotes national development and respect for citizens’ rights is the only sure way of ensuring that Uganda achieves infrastructural objectives in vision 2040 and the millennium development goals.
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Godber W. Tumushabe is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and currently the Executive Director of ACODE. He is a full-time public policy analyst with ACODE and also teaches Law at the Faculty of Law, Makerere University. He formerly worked with African Centre for Technology Studies(ACTS) as a Senior Research Fellow. Tumushabe holds a Masters Degree in Law(LLM) from Makerere University, Uganda.
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