Ministry of Lands Diaspora Desk: Is It Still Running?

Is there a diaspora land desk at the Ministry of Lands?

We cannot confirm one. On 3 November 2026 we read the Ministry's UgNLIS page and searched for announcements. The UgNLIS page describes the land information system and its zonal offices but says nothing about the diaspora, and gives no phone numbers, emails or office addresses. We also opened the Uganda High Commission in London page, which lists no land service. We found no notice that a diaspora land desk is running today. That is not proof that no desk exists, only that we could not verify it, so do not plan around it.

Treat any person who offers to connect you to a desk, for a fee, with suspicion. Official help is free to ask for and comes from the Ministry's own channels. For the wider buying process see buy property in Uganda from abroad.

What did the 2017 announcement actually promise?

Eagle Online reported on 4 September 2017 that Lands Minister Betty Amongi, speaking at the land and housing forum of the Ugandan North American Association convention in Miami on 2 September 2017, said the Ministry was establishing a Diaspora Desk for any land issues, including buying property and verifying land. She was joined by Permanent Secretary Dorcas Okalany. The minister was quoted as saying the Ministry was establishing a Diaspora Desk "on any land issues".

• An integrated land management system with upgraded title records, to reduce land grabbing and fraud.
• Digitisation of all land, which the Permanent Secretary said would continue until 2019.
• Work on verifying genuine real estate dealers.
• Dividing the country into zones, and systematic demarcation allowing communal or clan ownership.

The article gave no contact details or website for the desk. It was an announcement of intent in 2017, and we have found no later page that describes the desk's opening, hours or staff.

What has the Ministry done for the diaspora since?

Two things we could confirm. First, in October 2024 the Ministry launched an online public portal for land information. Daily Monitor reported that users register, pay by mobile money or credit card, and can view ownership and encumbrances, with the system also tracking multiple titling, caveats and transactions, and that the Minister said citizens in Uganda and abroad can have access to land information. Second, allAfrica reported that between 26 and 29 November 2025 Permanent Secretary Dorcas Okalany, with the Uganda mission in Geneva, met diaspora members one-on-one and gave guidance on land ownership, title verification, investment and the digitised land system, including at a community centre in Zurich. The report said similar engagements were planned for 2026.

So the Ministry does reach out to diaspora communities, but through visits and the portal, not, as far as we can verify, through a permanent desk you can phone or email.

Can the Ministry verify land for me from abroad?

You can verify the register yourself, and you should have an advocate confirm it. The Ministry's poster for the public portal says a title search requires the volume and folio, or the county, block and plot, and costs UGX 10,000 per search, paid through the Uganda Revenue Authority and uploaded with the payment receipt number. The same portal tracks the progress of a land transaction if you enter the transaction number from the receipt issued at the zonal office. According to Daily Monitor the portal can be used by registering an account, adding credit, choosing the tenure and entering the zonal office, block and plot.

Where are the official contacts?

We do not publish phone numbers or emails for the Ministry, because the sources we opened did not list a diaspora contact, and details change. Use the Ministry's own website for current contacts, and your nearest Ugandan mission for diaspora engagement dates. Zonal offices handle land services outside the headquarters, and our page Ministry of Lands Zonal Offices and What They Do explains which office covers which area.

Be careful with the 2017 article: it is old and it gives no contact. If a message uses it to ask you for money, it is a scam. The risks are set out in Land Scams Targeting Ugandans Abroad.

What should I do instead of waiting for a desk?

Build your own verification team. Use the Diaspora Land-Buying Checklist (Download) to run the search, survey, occupant and consent checks, and pay only through an advocate's client account. Decide first whether you want land or an apartment, with land or apartment, and read how your home country treats the purchase: Buying Property in Uganda From the UK and buy land in Uganda from USA.

If you want a person on the ground, book an escorted site visit, or browse plot listings. This page reflects what we could verify as of 3 November 2026, and we will update it if the Ministry publishes a diaspora contact.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Buying Property in Uganda from Abroad: Diaspora Hub
• Buying Property in Uganda From the UK
• Diaspora Land-Buying Checklist (Download)
• Apartment or Land: Which Suits a Diaspora Buyer?
• Ministry of Lands Zonal Offices and What They Do