Large Land Banks and Commercial Blocks: Investor Guide

How do I buy hundreds of acres in Uganda?

Treat a large purchase as a project with stages, not a single payment. First settle who may buy: a Ugandan citizen or a citizen-controlled company can hold mailo or freehold land, while a non-citizen can hold only a lease. Then verify the title, walk the whole boundary with a surveyor, find out who lives and farms on the land, confirm road and utility access, and write the exit plan. Pay in stages through an advocate's client account, each stage tied to a registered step. The shorter guides on buying land from abroad in 12 steps and sending money to Uganda to buy land apply in full, only with larger sums.

This page is general information as of November 2026. It is not legal, tax or investment advice.

What acreage tiers should I think in?

The tiers below are our editorial grouping, chosen because the checks change as the size grows. The examples come from our own listings, and every price is an asking price.

Of the 39 farmland listings on Land & Property in November 2026, five are 640 acres or more. A sixth, 1,280 acres in Nakasongola, is shown with a headline price of UGX 101 million per acre that looks like a typing slip for the UGX 11 million in its description, so we leave it out of the arithmetic. Arithmetic on the asking prices gives the scale: 750 acres in Kiwoko at UGX 15 million per acre is about UGX 11.25 billion, 720 acres in Kiboga at UGX 12 million per acre is about UGX 8.64 billion, one square mile (640 acres) in Nakasongola at UGX 11 million per acre is about UGX 7.04 billion, and 3,200 acres in Kyankwanzi at UGX 9 million per acre is about UGX 28.8 billion. The buyer's market described by Knight Frank means offers below asking are normal.

Which title types can I hold, and who is a non-citizen?

Our farmland listings record 27 mailo, 1 freehold and 1 leasehold title, and 10 do not say. Under the Land Act (Chapter 236), in the text we read, section 40 lets a non-citizen acquire a lease of up to 99 years, registers any lease of five years or more, and says a non-citizen shall not acquire or hold mailo or freehold land. The current edition may number it differently, so ask your advocate to quote the edition in force. Section 40(7) counts a company as a non-citizen where the controlling interest lies with non-citizens, or where its articles do not restrict share transfers to non-citizens. An overseas fund or a mixed-ownership company therefore needs advice before it bids. See Buying Property in Uganda From the UK and Buying Property in Uganda From the USA for the home-country side.

Two more provisions matter on big blocks. Section 31(1) says a tenant by occupancy on registered land enjoys security of occupancy, and section 29 defines lawful and bona fide occupants. Ask for a written list of every occupant before you agree a price. Section 39 requires a spouse's prior consent before family land is sold, so confirm in writing that the land is not family land, or that consent exists.

What access and utilities should I check?

A big block is worth what you can reach and serve. Ask for answers in writing, and see them on site.

• Road: distance to tarmac, the state of the access road in the rains, and whether the title shows any road reserve. Two Nakasongola listings are described as on tarmac.
• Power and water: distance to the nearest line or borehole, and who pays to extend them.
• Boundaries: a surveyor's report with mark stones opened and agreed by neighbours.
• Restrictions: wetlands, forest or other protected land. The Uganda Investment Authority's land-bank sites, reported by Daily Monitor in January 2024, must be free of encumbrance and outside wetlands and sensitive ecosystems, which is a good minimum standard for any buyer.

For industrial use, Knight Frank's H1 2026 review notes that heavy manufacturers often buy serviced land to build their own premises, and that the infrastructure programme at Namanve had passed 80% completion. It also reports that the planned US$390 million Kabalega Industrial Park in Hoima covers 29.57 square kilometres, and that government set land service fees at US$1.50 per square metre per year for general industries and commercial premises there. Those are state-promoted parks, not private land, but they show where infrastructure is going.

What exit routes exist for large land?

Plan the exit before you buy, because Knight Frank describes extended marketing periods and widened negotiability in the current sales market. Realistic routes are listed below. We do not predict which will work.

• Sell the whole block to one buyer, usually a farmer, institution or developer. Fewest transactions, slowest to find a buyer.
• Subdivide and sell in lots. This usually needs survey and planning steps, which your advocate should confirm before you commit.
• Joint venture with a developer, trading land for a share of the scheme. Knight Frank notes that scarcity and high plot values push developers towards apartment blocks, which shows why well-located land interests them.
• Lease or farm the land for income while you wait.

Occupants, spousal consent and a clean title all affect the exit, so the due diligence you do on the way in is the same file a future buyer will ask for. For commercial buildings and income-producing property, see Commercial Property in Uganda.

How does the state land bank fit in?

The Uganda Investment Authority is assembling land for industrial parks. Daily Monitor reported in January 2024 that it was securing close to 8,000 acres across districts including Nebbi, Madi-Okollo, Yumbe, Dokolo and Kisoro, with each park needing at least 500 acres, and said the land should be secured by UIA free of charge, which describes how UIA acquires land, not a price to investors. The article did not give lease terms or prices for individual investors, so ask UIA directly. This is a separate route from buying private land, and a private seller cannot offer it. Beware anyone who claims to sell UIA land privately.

To see private blocks and plots on offer now, browse plot listings, and to see the land in person book an escorted site visit. The wider guide is Buy a house in Uganda from abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Buying Property in Uganda from Abroad: Diaspora Hub
• Buying Property in Uganda From the UK
• How to Buy Land in Uganda From Abroad (12 Steps)
• How to Send Money to Uganda to Buy Land
• Commercial Property in Uganda: An Investor's Guide