Politics 18 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Gen Saleh Advocates Land Reforms in New Book to Boost Uganda's Industrialisation
Gen Caleb Akandwanaho, known as Salim Saleh, co-authored a book arguing that Uganda's land management issues stem from poor organisation rather than scarcity, hindering industrial growth. He calls for reforms balancing customary tenure with economic needs, including new legal frameworks and land consolidation. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/people-power/gen-saleh-makes-case-for-land-reforms-in-new-book-5428582
Gen Caleb Akandwanaho, popularly known as Salim Saleh and brother to President Museveni, has released a new book co-authored with Dr. Pascal Wathum Odoch. Titled Organising Land for National Economic Transformation, it critiques Uganda’s land tenure systems as barriers to industrialisation.
The authors assert that the challenge lies in land organisation, not shortage. Current models—customary, mailo, freehold, and leasehold—fail to support large-scale production for industries, despite legal frameworks like the 1995 Constitution and 1998 Land Act.
Customary tenure, dominant across 65-70% of land, restricts collateral use and market participation due to lacking formal titles. Mailo land in central Uganda sparks disputes between landlords and bibanja holders, deterring investors.
Technical fixes like digitisation fall short without addressing power dynamics and institutions. Smallholder farms under two hectares limit mechanisation and supply to factories, which often run at 30-50% capacity due to raw material shortages.
The book introduces ‘Kapeekanomics’ and the Expanded Land Use Balance Sheet (ELUBS) for economic land use. It urges amendments to the Land Act for pooling, long-term leases, and cooperative reforms to align land with Vision 2040 goals.
Reforms should preserve customary legitimacy while enabling investment, avoiding displacement and promoting agro-processing.
Source: Daily Monitor