Check Planned Roads and Projects Before Buying Land

How do I know if a road will pass through my land?

You find out by asking the right offices before you pay, because sellers rarely volunteer it. Under section 20 of the Roads Act, 2019, when a road authority decides in the public interest to build a new road or to widen, deviate or re-align an existing one, it must hold public meetings and publish a notice in a newspaper of national circulation showing the location and extent of the proposed corridor (source 1). So a planned road should leave a paper trail: a notice, a meeting, a survey and, on the ground, pegs or marks.

Section 15 adds that the Minister may declare a road reserve by statutory instrument on land acquired by a road authority, may set different widths for different classes of road, and that the authority must mark the reserve boundary on every public road under its jurisdiction using trees, pegs or other approved marks (source 1). Walk the plot looking for those marks, and ask neighbours about surveyors who have visited. Our land site visit checklist includes the road and boundary points to look at on the day.

Which offices should I ask?

1. The road authority for the road in question. This is UNRA for national roads, the district for district roads and KCCA inside Kampala. Ask in writing whether the road is planned for widening, a bypass or a new link, and the declared reserve width and building line.
2. The district or city physical planning office. The Physical Planning Act, 2010 provides for physical development plans at national, regional, district, urban and local levels (source 2). Ask whether a local physical development plan covers the plot and whether any road is shown across it.
3. The district engineer or town clerk. They know of roads in design that have not yet reached a gazetted reserve.
4. The seller's neighbours. Ask what surveyors have marked, and whether anyone was valued for compensation.

Ask for the reply on paper and keep it with the sale file. Our list of 12 Questions to Ask a Land Seller Before You Pay includes asking directly whether any part of the land has been marked or valued.

What is a building line and why does it matter?

Even where no new road is planned, an existing road can limit what you build. Section 17 of the Roads Act lets the Minister, with the relevant road authority, prescribe a building line and a distance from the centre of the road within which no building may be erected. Once a line is prescribed, a new building, other than a boundary wall or fence, cannot be erected closer to the road than that line without the road authority's consent, and a condition attached to a consent binds later owners and occupiers (source 1). Section 69 makes breach an offence, with a fine, imprisonment of up to seven years, or both, and an additional daily fine for a continuing offence.

For a buyer, that means a plot with a short road frontage may lose its front yard to a line, and a plot at a junction may lose more. Ask for the building line in metres for the specific road and have a surveyor draw it on the plan.

Will I be compensated if a road is built through my plot?

If government acquires your land, the Constitution gives you strong protection. Article 26 says nobody may be compulsorily deprived of property unless the taking is necessary for public use and is made under a law that provides for prompt payment of fair and adequate compensation prior to the taking of possession, and for a right of access to a court (source 3). The Roads Act is made subject to the Constitution: section 21 lets a road authority acquire land for purposes of the Act subject to the Constitution and any other applicable law.

Two limits matter for buyers. A road reserve already declared and clear on the ground is not the same as private land to be acquired, and the Act says utilities or developments placed in a reserve by permission must be removed at the user's cost, without compensation, when the authority needs the space (section 16). A building put up inside a reserve or beyond a building line is therefore at risk. Our page Land Compensation for Roads and Public Projects covers the valuation and payment process in detail.

What if the land acquisition is delayed?

Payment can lag behind a project, and some owners end up unable to sell or build while waiting. We have no verified, dated figures on delays, and we do not quote any. What a buyer can do is protect themselves in the contract.

• Make the sale conditional on written confirmation from the road authority that no part of the plot is affected.
• If the plot is affected, ask who receives the compensation: you or the seller. Write it into the agreement.
• If you buy in instalments, keep the balance unpaid until the confirmation arrives. Read Buying Land on Installments in Uganda before signing the schedule.
• Ask whether the land has already been valued or paid for.

If you are abroad, a paid escorted site visit lets a verified person look for survey pegs and visit the district office on your behalf.

What does this mean for price?

A plot beside a planned road can rise in price when the project is confirmed, and a plot sitting on the alignment can lose most of its value. Because both are possible, ask for the facts before you accept the seller's story. Our November 2026 snapshot shows plots asking for access to tarmac. A Kira Mulawa listing is described as 50 meters off tarmac, and a Bunga listing on Gaaba road is also 50 meters off tarmac (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026). That access is a selling point only if the road keeps its current shape. Compare asking prices across your shortlist and browse plot listings before deciding.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Land for Sale in Uganda: Verified Plots and the Complete Buyer's Guide
• Water, Power and Access: Check Before Buying Land
• Land Site Visit Checklist: What to Check on the Ground
• 12 Questions to Ask a Land Seller Before You Pay
• Land Compensation for Roads and Public Projects
• Buying Land on Installments in Uganda: What to Check