Activists for women blames weak legal clause surrounding customary land ownership as an impediment to women access and ownership of land in greater Gulu. Frances Birungi odong an activist on women at Uganda Community Based Association for Women and Children’s welfare right thinks that continued land ownership basing on customary laws denies women access to land especially in urban areas,
More than half of land in the Acholi are owned under customary laws and they are unregistered.
Zerubbabel Abuka chairman district land Board of nwoya who served in the for the last 8-years says most of unregistered land have low values.
According to physical planner Fredrick Mugisa, who is also programs coordinator at act together Uganda a charity Organization affiliated to the International network of Slum Dwellers International working in Uganda says despite of the fact that challenges surround unregistered customary lands, the occupants and land lords are equal in development agenda in any area,
Rose Mwebaza a lawyer and coordinator of the Uganda Land Alliance, in a consortium of local and international NGOs set up to ensure review of Uganda’s land laws and policies in 1999 identified some challenges in customanry land laws including no provision for the end of customary rights in favor of new freehold rights on conversion and many poor customary tenants are unable to afford the costs associated with the acquisition of a certificate of customary ownership