READ THE WOMEN'S LAND RIGHTS PAPER N.6 ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUCCESSION LAW IN UGANDA
WOMEN'S LAND RIGHTS IN UGANDA
In Uganda, land rights are based on birthrights traced through patrilineal descent, a tradition that is particularly observed in rural areas and also documented in the statutory laws.
The Succession Act identifies the persons eligible for inheritance and their respective entitlements. In an earlier evaluation of the effectiveness of the statutory law, the practices of the Administrator General’s (AG’s) office were studied, focusing on how they award women their inheritance rights. More women in the central region were bequeathed land and matrimonial homes than in the western region. This data is attributed to the fact that few of the deceased from other regions registered land. In addition, probate to administer estates is more likely to be granted to males than to females. On the other hand, among the intestate, females are more likely to become administrators of estates, which accords them control over property.
Findings show that more males (22 percent) obtained land than females (18 percent), though the AG grants a slightly
higher proportion of money to female children (19 percent) than to male children (17 percent). Research was necessary to establish whether current land reform has necessarily granted women any more ownership rights than traditional practices have accorded them.
Study findings indicate that 70 percent of the interviewed women were daughters of the deceased and were taking care of the homes visited. The study also established that 90 percent of the widows had died, while those who were still surviving were very old. The data in this study indicates that 45 percent of the women who had been granted letters of administration over property by the AG’s office, still have the land; a percentage greater than that of men in similar positions who have chosen to sell their land. Similarly 60 percent of the women beneficiaries in the two targeted districts make decisions over that land.
