On October 23rd and 24th, SSA traveled to Kamuli for the Women Spaces Project, focusing on the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM). There is a gap in the conventional land administration systems, such that customary and informal tenure cannot be easily handled. There is a need for complementary approaches in land administration.

The concept of the Social Tenure Domain Model is to bridge this gap by providing a standard for representing ‘people – land’ relationships independent of the level of formality, legality, and technical accuracy.

The Women Spaces Project is using this approach to help community members in Kamuli Municipality register their land and secure land titles, with a special emphasis on ensuring that women’s names are also included. This empowers women and provides them with greater security, reducing the fear of losing their land.

The exercise started with Physical planning to ensure orderly development. We started with a transect drive by mapping the boundaries of the Sabawali Zone Northern Division to prevent unauthorized construction. We also held a sensitization meeting with community members to discuss community development and the importance of land registration. During the meeting, we highlighted the significance of including wives’ names on property titles, reinforcing their rights to the land.

Another important part of our visit was interviewing the different stakeholders involved in the land registration process including the Area Land Committee, the Town clerk, the Physical planner, and an official from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.

We also had an engagement with the Baisakirala community development group, a savings group that is looking at supporting women through self-help projects and helping them increase their household incomes to be able to acquire property like Land. The group is composed of 38 members and has so far been able to save up to five million Uganda shillings.

Overall, it was an enlightening two days for SSA, showcasing the progress being made in Kamuli through the Women Spaces Project!