SSA undertakes systematic reviews of existing policies, laws, and development plans related to human settlements. Through comprehensive literature reviews and analysis of National and local policy frameworks, SSA identifies gaps, inconsistencies, and implementation challenges within urban development governance. These findings form the basis for evidence-based recommendations aimed at strengthening policy design, enforcement, and inclusivity.The insights generated from these reviews directly inform SSA’s policy dialogues with key decision-makers at national and local government levels. Over time, SSA has made substantive contributions to major legislative and policy processes, including the National Land Policy, the National Housing Policy, the National Urban Policy, the Landlord and Tenant Bill, the Physical Planning Act, the Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, and the Roads Act. SSA also contributes to the budget framework paper and ministerial policy settlements position by non-state actors, among others.
In addition to research and policy analysis, SSA actively engages decision-makers through structured, face-to-face lobbying meetings and policy dialogue forums at national, city, municipal, regional, and international levels. These engagements bring together stakeholders from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, the Parliament of Uganda, as well as district, municipal, city, and town council leadership. During these forums, SSA presents evidence from policy reviews, monitoring activities, and budget analysis to advocate for improvements in policy formulation, implementation, and planning for human settlements. Through its credibility and sustained engagement, the Network has been elected to serve on four government committees, representing Civil Society in national decision-making processes related to land, housing, and urban development.