The "Lost Counties": Politics of Land Rights and Belonging in Uganda
Land rights conflicts between indigenous and migrant groups are intensifying across Africa. This paper examines the politics of belonging and contestation of land rights in relation to Ugandan land legislation and the historical legacy of the "Lost Counties" issue in Uganda.
With the 1900 Uganda Agreement the British Government granted the elite in Buganda Kingdom large tracts of titled land in parts of Bunyoro Kingdom. This area, including the present Kibaale District, is commonly referred to as the "Lost Counties". The colonial and postcolonial legacy of the "Lost Counties" land issue has recently resurfaced as a contentious ethno-political issue in Uganda. The paper is based on fieldwork in Kibaale District, during the period January to July 2004.
