Buying Land From a Company: Resolutions and Checks

What documents do I need to buy land from a company?

Ask the company to give you copies of all of these before you pay any deposit:

• The certificate of incorporation and the company's memorandum and articles of association.
• A current URSB search or certified extract showing the company name, registration number, registered office, directors and company secretary.
• A board resolution approving the sale, naming the plot, the price and who will sign.
• The original certificate of title, in the company's name, plus a fresh title search from the land registry.
• Identification of the signatories, such as National ID cards, and their authority.
• A tax identification number for the company, and any approvals for the subdivision if you are buying part of a larger parcel.

Your own papers are the sale agreement, proof of payment, and the transfer forms. Our overview of Uganda land law explains how the transfer then moves through the registry.

This page covers the case where the seller is a company. If you are instead thinking of buying through your own company, the rules on who may hold the land are different, and the section below on citizenship will help.

How do I search a company at URSB?

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau keeps the register of companies. Its published fee schedule lists a record search on the register of companies at UGX 25,000 and certification of any company document on the register at UGX 35,000 (as accessed in November 2026). The register carries the filings that matter to a land buyer, including the annual returns and notices of the appointment or change of directors and company secretary (Form 20).

What to look for in the search:

1. Is the company registered and active? A name on a signboard is not proof.
2. Do the directors and secretary match the people you are dealing with? A salesperson is not necessarily a director.
3. Is there a recent change of directors? A new board may not know the history of a plot.
4. Do the articles limit share transfers to citizens? This matters for land, as explained below.

The company must also be formed before it signs. Section 54 of the Companies Act, 2012 says a contract made on behalf of a company before the company is formed has effect as one made with the person purporting to act for it, so if the "company" is not yet registered you may be dealing with an individual, with no company behind the promise.

Who signs for a company selling land?

Section 55 of the Companies Act, 2012 says that a document executed by a director and the secretary of a company, or by two directors, and expressed to be executed by the company, has the same effect as if executed under the common seal of the company. That is the standard route, so the old need for a seal and a ritual stamping is not what the law requires. Insist that the sale agreement and the transfer show the company's full registered name, say they are signed on behalf of the company, and show the signatories' names and positions.

The Act also protects people who deal with a company in good faith. Under section 52, the power of the board to bind the company is not limited by the company's memorandum, and good faith is presumed unless the contrary is proved; section 53 says a party is not bound to enquire whether a transaction is permitted by the memorandum. Do not read those protections as permission to be careless. They help an innocent buyer in court, but a court case over land can last years. The safe approach is to ask for the board resolution and the directors' identification so that nobody can claim afterwards that the sale was unauthorised.

Have an advocate witness the signing and keep the original signed copies. If an individual claims to be "the owner of the company", ask whether the land is in the company's name or in his or her own name; if it is in a person's name, our page on spousal consent may apply to the sale.

Can this company lawfully hold the land?

This is the check most buyers skip. Under section 41 of the Land Act (Cap. 236, as at 31 December 2023), a non-citizen may hold land only as a lease, not exceeding 99 years, and may not hold mailo or freehold. The Act defines non-citizen to include a company in which the controlling interest lies with non-citizens, a company whose shares are held in trust for non-citizens, and a company incorporated in Uganda whose articles of association do not contain a provision restricting the transfer or issue of shares to non-citizens (section 41(7)).

That last limb is the trap. A Ugandan-owned company whose articles lack a share-transfer restriction is, for this purpose, a non-citizen. An advocate writing in the Monitor in February 2022 said this means many Ugandan companies cannot hold freehold, mailo or customary land, and raised, without answering, whether existing registrations in such companies' names are void or can be fixed by amending the articles. So ask three questions:

• Does the company's article restrict transfer and issue of shares to non-citizens?
• Was the title acquired by the company before or after the law applied, and on what basis?
• Are there foreign shareholders or trustees?

A seller company that cannot answer clearly is a risk, because a title that is open to challenge is hard to resell or mortgage. For foreign buyers, the lease route is explained in registering a lease in Uganda.

What extra checks apply to estate developers?

Many plots on the market are sold by companies that subdivide a larger block into estates. Treat the sale of a plot as three separate questions: does the company own the parent title, is the plot properly carved out of it, and can it give you your own title?

Judging a developer's track record means checking facts, not marketing. Visit an earlier phase and ask the buyers there whether they have their own titles. Look for completed roads and boundary marks. Ask how many plots have been transferred out of the parent title. We do not rate any developer here: use this list to form your own view.

What if the company says the land is government or public land?

Some company estates are carved from land that was once public or that was leased from a government body. Before you pay, ask who granted the company's rights and read the title carefully. Our guide on whether you can buy government or public land in Uganda lists the red flags.

If the company is selling standing trees, remember that Land & Property forest listings sell the trees only, the land is not included, and the harvesting deadline is negotiable with the seller. Our page on buying trees only explains why the land owner's consent and the company's tree rights both need a paper check.

On our platform, the plots you can see in Land & Property listings, Nov 2026 number 21, of which 18 are mailo and 1 is freehold. Wherever a seller is a company, we suggest you ask for the same documents above. To compare plots, browse plot listings, or ask our team on WhatsApp or by email for help with a company check.

Listings available now

Live from Land & Property on 4 November 2026. Prices are the sellers' asking prices.

• 25 Decimals in Bunga at Ugx820m Buziga, Kampala · Plot UGX 820,000,000
• 1 acre for sale in Kololo at $2,500,000 Kololo, Kampala · Plot UGX 9,250,000,000
• Plot For sale in Masoli kitetika at 80m Kasangati, Wakiso · Plot UGX 80,000,000
• 33 Decimals in Bukoto Town at Ugx1.4bn Bukoto, Kampala · Plot UGX 1,400,000,000
• 53 decimals commercial Plot in Bukoto Bukoto, Kampala · Plot UGX 3,500,000,000
• 71 decimals in Kira Bulindo at Ugx500m Kira, Wakiso · Plot UGX 500,000,000

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Uganda Land Law and Land Titles Explained
• Can You Buy Government or Public Land in Uganda?
• Buying Land With a Kibanja on It: Steps and Risks
• Buying Part of a Shared Mailo Title
• Spousal Consent: Buying or Selling Family Land
• Buying Trees Only: What You Get and What You Do Not