By Frank Kamuntu
Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM Uganda ) and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) have partnered with government agencies to address the abuse of community rights by investors in agriculture and forestry in Uganda through the Responsible Governance of Investments in Land (RGIL) project.
One of the solutions being implemented is the Investor Compliance Monitoring Tool (ICMT), which measures investors’ compliance in critical areas such as land acquisition, food security, water management, documentation, and gender inclusion.
The ICMT was developed over the past three years and is already being implemented in several districts across Uganda, including Mubende, Kasanda, Gomba, Soroti, Kapelbyong, and Dokolo. By promoting responsible governance of investments in land, the ICMT aims to prevent conflicts, forced evictions, and loss of access to land.
According to Richard Katende, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at GIZ’s RGIL project, the ICMT’s implementation has faced challenges due to the poor relationship between landlords and bonafide tenants, particularly in the central region of Uganda.
”Investors acquire land from landlords without the knowledge of tenants, leading to conflicts between investors and communities. This affects the rate of acceptability of different investments by communities, leading to either their failure or wars,” said Katende at Skyz Hotel Naguru in a meeting about this new tool.
Katende also revealed that despite these challenges, the ICMT has been implemented in several districts in Uganda, indicating that investors can comply with the tool’s requirements and promote responsible governance of investments in the land where Soroti is performing exceptionally well in all areas.
”The ICMT is increasingly being adopted and used by different organizations to promote compliance among investors and protect community rights,” said Katende.
The executive director of the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU), Mr Chariton Namuwoza, expressed his satisfaction with the ICMT’s effectiveness in assessing investors, especially those in agriculture.
”The ICMT is a vital tool in promoting responsible governance of investments in land in Uganda,” said Namuwoza adding, ”Its implementation in collaboration with various government agencies is ensuring investors comply with requirements in critical areas, preventing conflicts and forced evictions. The success of the ICMT in Soroti provides a positive outlook for communities in Uganda.”
