The Government Chief Whip says the minister must explain the suspension of land services after MPs raised concerns that the move is disrupting property transactions, including mortgage processing and clearance.
Government Chief Whip Jane Ruth Aceng has directed the Minister of Lands to explain the suspension of land services at the ministry’s zonal offices following concerns that the move is disrupting economic activities.
Aceng, who is also the Lira City Woman MP, told Parliament that the minister should present a statement on Thursday, October 22, 2026, after Bbaale County MP Charles Tebandeke renewed calls for a substantive government response.
The matter came up during a parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, October 21, when Tebandeke said he had first raised concerns about the suspension on October 13 but had yet to receive a satisfactory response from government.
He argued that the suspension was affecting land transactions, including mortgage processing and the discharge of existing mortgages.
“Mortgaging land or clearing a mortgage is not fraud,” Tebandeke said, questioning the basis for suspending the services and warning of the economic implications.
Tebandeke also expressed dissatisfaction with a personal letter he said he had received from Aceng in response to his concerns. In the letter, she reportedly stated that she had no capacity to inform the entire public about the matter.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, however, reminded the legislator that a procedural matter raised in the House must relate to Parliament’s proceedings and asked him to clarify the action he wanted the House to take.
Tebandeke responded by calling for a substantive government statement explaining the suspension and its implications for land transactions.
Aceng acknowledged that the MP had raised the matter twice, conceding that a formal statement should have been presented to Parliament.
“It is true the Honourable Member has asked this question twice,” she said, adding that the response “was supposed to be a statement”.
Tayebwa subsequently ruled that the Minister of Lands would be given time on the Order Paper on Thursday, October 22, to address the concerns.
The Deputy Speaker also criticised the practice of government issuing guidelines outside Parliament, urging ministers to present such measures to legislators before communicating them publicly.
He said ministers should first share the guidelines with the House to allow MPs to scrutinise them and build consensus.
The minister’s planned statement is expected to clarify the reasons for suspending services at the ministry’s zonal offices and the implications for members of the public seeking to register land transactions, process mortgages or discharge existing encumbrances.