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Land Rights Support Centre (LRSC)
Land remains the backbone of Uganda’s rural livelihoods, yet most small-scale farmers still face insecure land tenure. Although the 1995 Constitution guarantees property rights, nearly 80% of land is held under customary systems with limited documentation, weak dispute resolution mechanisms, and low access to legal information. Women are disproportionately affected—despite producing much of Uganda’s food, they rarely own or control land, limiting productivity and long-term household stability.
To address these gaps, ESAFF Uganda established the Land Rights Support Centre (LRSC) in 2022 to strengthen access to land justice for small-scale farmers. The LRSC provides support in land registration, succession, mediation, and rights awareness, with a focus on women, youth, and vulnerable households. Through a mobile outreach model, services are delivered directly to communities, improving access, trust, and accountability.
Since its launch, the LRSC has supported 742 citizens with legal aid, reached 22,830 farmers with land rights information, contributed to five policy processes, supported women-led households to pursue Certificates of Customary Ownership, and strengthened Area Land Committees and district integrity structures to improve land service delivery.
However, demand continues to exceed available resources. To significantly reduce land conflicts and tenure insecurity, the LRSC aims to reach at least 10,000 citizens annually with legal support, documentation assistance, and land rights awareness.
Services Offered
Access to Land Rights Information
The Land Rights Support Centre runs a multilingual helpline (+256 776 892 211) connecting communities to pro bono legal support in eight local languages, ensuring accessible and culturally appropriate assistance. It also provides IEC materials on land rights, inheritance, registration, dispute resolution, and women’s tenure security, helping communities better understand and protect their land rights. It further strengthens awareness and access to justice for vulnerable groups, especially rural women and farmers.
Access to Land Justice
Land Documentation
The Land Rights Support Centre offers free legal aid through community platforms like Land Camps and National Land Awareness Week, providing spaces for legal advice, rights awareness, and case assessment. It promotes community mediation to resolve land disputes quickly and affordably, and links complex cases to relevant institutions for proper legal support.
The Land Rights Support Centre (LRSC) helps communities document land rights across all tenure systems, using a self-financing model that promotes local ownership and faster registration. This strengthens legal recognition, reduces conflicts, improves access to finance, and supports vulnerable groups, while facilitating Certificates of Customary Ownership (CCOs) to secure tenure and enhance women’s rights and long-term land stewardship.
Responsible Investments on Land
It tracks investor compliance with key land governance standards such as RAI Principles, LSLBI Indicators, and the VGGTs. The Community Empowerment Tool applies these standards at grassroots level by monitoring tenure rights, gender equity, environmental protection, and participation. Overall, it promotes accountable, transparent, and sustainable land investments that respect smallholder farmers’ rights. It also strengthens community oversight to ensure responsible investment practices on the ground.
“Receiving the CCO from ESAFF Uganda has been life-changing. As a woman, I now have formal recognition of my land, which gives me security, confidence in making decisions, and hope for the future of my family.” – Female household beneficiary, Zombo
“I learned from the translated poster they shared that even as a wife, I have a right to consent before family land is sold. This information has given me confidence to speak up at home.” – Woman farmer, Kumi.
“We have learned that women can be co-owners on land titles. This is something we are now encouraging in our households.” – Female, Mityana
Investing in the LRSC is an investment in secure land rights, agricultural productivity, gender equity, and sustainable rural development in Uganda.
