Video Site Visits for Uganda Land: A Checklist
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
A video call can show that a plot exists and what it looks like today, but it cannot prove who owns it. A genuine live video is unedited, led by someone you can identify, pans slowly across the boundaries and landmarks, and responds to your requests in real time. Use video as a first filter, then confirm title and boundaries through an advocate and an escorted visit.
- What video can confirm
- The plot exists, access, neighbours and land use today
- What video cannot confirm
- Ownership, boundaries on paper, occupants' rights, encumbrances
- Land inspection rule
- Administrative Circular No 1 of 2025: transactions above 0.5 acre (central) or 1 acre (elsewhere) are inspected before subdivision or transfer
Can I inspect land by video call?
You can see land by video call, and it is a sensible first step when you live abroad, but it is not an inspection in the legal sense. A video shows what the camera points at, at that moment, chosen by the person holding the phone. It cannot show the register, boundary stones that were moved last year, or a neighbour's claim.
The Daily Monitor's reporting on Uganda's land fraud crisis explains why this matters. A real estate agent quoted there said middlemen can fabricate ownership details, misrepresent boundaries or introduce clients to impostors. One Wakiso buyer who bought through a broker said that, when he started to build, another group arrived with different documents claiming ownership. Police recorded 663 land fraud cases in 2025, up from 397 in 2024. Video helps you screen plots; it does not remove those risks.
What is the difference between live and recorded video?
| Live video | Recorded video | |
|---|---|---|
| Can you steer it? | Yes, you ask for views as you go | No, you see what the maker chose |
| Can it be old or from another plot? | Hard to fake if you set a task | Easy to reuse footage from another place or date |
| Best use | Checking a plot you already shortlisted | A first look only, never a basis to pay |
Always ask for a live call. If the seller or broker will only send recorded clips, treat that as a warning. A simple test is to set a task they cannot prepare in advance, for example: "Turn left, walk twenty steps to the nearest boundary mark and hold up something with today's newspaper or a handwritten note I give you." A genuine guide will do it without fuss.
What should I ask for on camera?
Prepare a short list and share it before the call. A good live video should show:
- Approach and access: the road from the main junction to the plot, with the surface, width and any landmarks such as a school, trading centre or church.
- All boundaries: every corner, with boundary marks, fences or trenches, and the neighbours' land on each side.
- The land itself: slope, soil, water, flooding signs, rock, trees, and any buildings or crops. Crops or houses on the plot may mean someone lives or farms there.
- Utilities: distance to power lines and water, if you plan to build.
- People: ask who farms or lives on the land and whether they are willing to speak to you.
Do not accept a video shot only inside a car or from the road. If something is hidden, ask for it to be shown again.
How do GPS and landmarks help?
Ask the person on site to share a live location pin from their phone while they stand at each corner, and to read out the nearest landmark. Compare the pins with the plot description in the sale agreement and with the survey plan. Then ask your advocate to have a licensed surveyor open the boundary, using the title's block and plot numbers. A pin is a clue, not proof: phone maps can be off by several metres, and a pin cannot show what the register says.
Do not rely on a pin sent as a text message alone; a screenshot can come from anywhere. Ask for a pin sent live while you are on video. Keep screenshots of the call with the date and time.
How do I spot a fake video viewing?
Warning signs include:
- The camera never turns around, or the speaker stands in the same spot.
- The person refuses to show their face or ID, or changes who holds the phone.
- The plot looks different from the sale advert, with different trees, slope or road.
- Pressure to pay a deposit straight after the call, "because other buyers are coming".
- The seller will not allow your advocate or a verified agent to visit.
For more patterns, read land scams targeting Ugandans abroad or our guide to putting the title in your own name. Never send money on the strength of a call; our guide on paying for land in stages sets out the order.
When is video not enough?
Video is not enough once you move from shortlisting to paying. Before any payment, you need a registry search through your advocate, a boundary check by a surveyor and a visit by someone you can hold to account. Daily Monitor reports that the Lands ministry's Administrative Circular No 1 of 2025 requires inspection of land transactions above 0.5 acre (50 decimals) in the central region, or one acre in other regions, to verify interests on the land before any subdivision and transfer is concluded.
Our escorted site visits are for exactly this step. Forest buyers should also read how to inspect a forest before you buy, since trees are counted and measured on foot. Use the diaspora checklist and the 12-step buying guide to keep track, and see buy property in Uganda from UK if you are in the UK. Then browse plot listings.
If you hold a second passport, check the land rules first in Dual Citizenship and Land Ownership in Uganda. The wider guide is buy land in Uganda from UK and other countries.
Frequently asked questions
Can I inspect land by video call?
You can view it, but a video call is not a legal inspection. It shows the plot today, not who owns it or where the paper boundaries lie. Use it to shortlist, then confirm title and boundaries through an advocate and an escorted visit.
How do I spot a fake video viewing?
Warning signs include recorded footage only, a camera that never turns, refusal to show boundaries or ID, a plot that differs from the advert, and pressure to pay straight after. Set a live task, such as showing a handwritten note, and ask for a live location pin.
Does a GPS pin prove where the land is?
No. A live pin helps compare the plot with the sale agreement and survey plan, but phone maps can be off by several metres and cannot show ownership. Ask your advocate to have a licensed surveyor open the boundary.
Should I pay after a good video viewing?
No. Pay only after a registry search, a signed agreement and stage-by-stage releases through an advocate's client account. A video is a screening step, not a reason to send money.
Sources
- Inside Uganda's land fraud crisis, Daily Monitor (accessed 2026-11)