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UGANDA, Busoga | Real Muloodi News | The Church of Uganda’s Busoga Diocese has launched a large-scale tree planting campaign aimed to protect church land from encroachment while promoting productive land use.
The initiative, led by diocesan leadership, seeks to address rising concerns over land grabbing affecting church properties across eastern Uganda. Church officials say the project will not only secure boundaries but also generate income through agriculture and forestry.
Rt. Rev. Patrick Wakula, bishop of the diocese, said the program is part of a broader strategy to safeguard church assets and ensure land is actively utilized.
“We need to protect our land and make it productive,” Wakula said during the launch of the initiative at St. Andrew Church in Namutumba District.
Church leaders indicated that tree planting will serve as a natural barrier against encroachers, while also contributing to environmental conservation. In addition to tree growing, the diocese plans to introduce income-generating activities such as coffee farming on idle land.
The Busoga Diocese tree planting initiative comes amid persistent land disputes involving religious institutions, where properties donated to the church have increasingly become targets of encroachment. According to church officials, some of the disputes involve relatives of original land donors attempting to reclaim or occupy church land.
“This is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it,” Wakula said, condemning land grabbers and warning against illegal occupation of church property.
The Church of Uganda has taken steps in recent years to secure its land holdings, including working with the Ministry of Lands to process land titles and conduct boundary surveys. In September 2025, the government reportedly issued thousands of land titles to the church as part of efforts to curb land grabbing.
Church leaders say proper documentation alone is not sufficient, emphasizing the need for visible land use to deter encroachers. The introduction of tree planting is intended to reinforce ownership while aligning with national environmental goals.
The initiative also aligns with a wider campaign by the Church of Uganda to plant millions of trees across the country. The national program aims to restore ecosystems, address climate change, and promote sustainable land management practices across dioceses.
Under the broader strategy, each diocese is expected to contribute significantly to national tree planting targets, integrating environmental stewardship into church activities and community outreach.
Local stakeholders have welcomed the Busoga Diocese tree planting effort, noting that it could reduce land-related conflicts while improving livelihoods through agricultural production.
Land disputes remain a widespread challenge in Uganda, particularly where institutional land ownership intersects with community claims and undocumented tenure systems. Religious institutions, which often hold large tracts of donated land, have increasingly turned to formal registration and active land use as key protection strategies.
As the Busoga Diocese tree planting program rolls out, church leaders say its success will depend on community participation, proper land management, and continued collaboration with government authorities.
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