Gulu University Launched Book on Land Governance

Gulu University Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies (IPSS) on January, Thursday, 25^th, 2024 from Bomah Hotel in Gulu City launched the book This Land is Not for Sale which was field research based stories on land dynamic issues in the region recorded through collaborative scholarly partnership involving both Gulu University and Academic Scholars from Denmark.

Gulu University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Okello David Owiny who launched the book with the team of authors said the book needs to be translated in the Local Language (Acoli) so that its readership goes further.

Prof. Owiny said the research work was very strategic since everything in this world including minerals, water, trees, grass are on Land.

He appealed to the team to think about getting another grant to revisit their stories since the Post War Northern Uganda Land story keeps changing. “Now we have balalo questions and many others that you need to interest yourself in”. Prof. Owiny added.

Komakech Henry Kilama, a long practicing advocate of Court in the Post War Conflict Northern Uganda said there is a new phenomenon of land question where state agencies announce a place to be a government land and later you hear they are mining minerals.

The book launch also brought in Academics, Local Community members and traditional leaders who some had participated during the data collection of the book.

The book launched is part of the ‘Governing Transition in Northern Uganda: Trust and Land Project’ housed at IPPS with Dr. Stephen Langole as the Principal investigator and Sebastian Oswin Oguti as the Project Coordinator.

The Danida funded four year UGX 1.7 Billion project that started in 2013 with an extension up to 2017 was a research based project that approached issues of governance and trusts and mistrust by focusing on land governance.

The overall objective was to enhance research capacity and inform policy through creating knowledge and management of land disputes, trust and governance in post war conflict transition also sponsored to completion of three Doctors of Philosophy.

The PhD holders through the project are, Dr Otto Ben Adol, Dr. Anying Irene Winnie, Dr. Julaina.A. Obika all had tailored their research theses towards land management, governance with prism in legal, gendered, and traditional perspectives.