An Analysis of the Challenges Encountered During the Acquisition of Land for Oil- Related Development Projects in Hoima District

Abstract

The study sought to understand the challenges encountered during the large-scale acquisition of land for the recent oil-related development projects in Hoima district. Guided by the correlational design, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods to obtain relevant information from a sample of 52 respondents. These were purposely selected from several government ministries such as Lands and Energy, the Petroleum Authority, NGO’s and, others from the district and sub-county leadership. It was discovered that a moderate, positive relationship exists between land tenure (customary and freehold) and the acquisition process. Being most complex, customary tenure presented more challenges as a result of the inherent issues such as land fragmentation, incessant conflicts and a chronic lack of documentation. Concerning the land-use patterns, agriculture, especially crop farming which was the most widely practiced also presented more challenges to the acquisition process. It was recommended that the government consider conducting a land census, especially in such sensitive regions to ascertain the land ownership patterns therein and provide proper documentation for such future exercises. Additionally, a proper compensation framework should be developed to factor in the current market prices of people’s lands or their structures and commodities at the moment.