Do the Batwa own any land today?

A minority of Batwa households own land — mostly through NGO-assisted purchases. A 2020 MUST study found that the majority of Batwa households do not own land. Of those who do, most acquired it through the assistance of NGOs such as the Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust (BMCT) and Batwa Development Programme (BDP). Most land purchases are held in trust by the NGOs rather than being titled directly to Batwa families.

Why are land titles held by NGOs rather than the Batwa directly?

NGOs hold land titles in trust to prevent the land from being sold by Batwa individuals who may face pressure from more powerful neighbors or who may exchange land for immediate cash needs. The fear is that without this protection, unscrupulous actors would acquire the land through manipulation of economically desperate families. While this protects the community land base, it also means individual Batwa families cannot use their land as collateral for loans — "land is not bankable" as ABEG noted in 2025 consultations.

Has Uganda recognized Batwa land rights?

No. As of December 2025, the Batwa's rights to the forest lands have not been formally recognized by Uganda, and they have not received compensation for the loss of their ancestral territory or their hunter-gatherer livelihood since their eviction in 1991. A constitutional petition filed in 2013 (Constitutional Petition No. 3 of 2013) challenges this, but the legal process is slow.

What did the Batwa ask for in consultations?

During the 2022 and 2025 consultations for the World Bank VMGP, land ownership was consistently identified by Batwa communities as "the answer to almost all their development challenges." Specific requests included land purchase support, formal land titling for existing plots, and access to land sufficient for cultivation. Three Batwa-led organizations also requested that the World Bank project support land rights as part of its Batwa plan, though the project's scope does not permit this.

Is any land being purchased for the Batwa?

Yes, but at insufficient scale. The Batwa Development Programme has purchased land and constructed housing in several settlements. BMCT has also supported land acquisition. In the Rushaga area (Kisoro), BMCT bought land for the Batwa, though community members noted in 2025 that "more is needed, no formal land agreement." The Action for Batwa Empowerment Group holds land under a Church/BDP partnership but it is not legally owned by the Batwa.

Do the Batwa own any land today?

A minority of Batwa households own land — mostly through NGO-assisted purchases. A 2020 MUST study found that the majority of Batwa households do not own land. Of those who do, most acquired it through the assistance of NGOs such as the Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust (BMCT) and Batwa Development Programme (BDP). Most land purchases are held in trust by the NGOs rather than being titled directly to Batwa families.

Why are land titles held by NGOs rather than the Batwa directly?

NGOs hold land titles in trust to prevent the land from being sold by Batwa individuals who may face pressure from more powerful neighbors or who may exchange land for immediate cash needs. The fear is that without this protection, unscrupulous actors would acquire the land through manipulation of economically desperate families. While this protects the community land base, it also means individual Batwa families cannot use their land as collateral for loans — "land is not bankable" as ABEG noted in 2025 consultations.

Has Uganda recognized Batwa land rights?

No. As of December 2025, the Batwa's rights to the forest lands have not been formally recognized by Uganda, and they have not received compensation for the loss of their ancestral territory or their hunter-gatherer livelihood since their eviction in 1991. A constitutional petition filed in 2013 (Constitutional Petition No. 3 of 2013) challenges this, but the legal process is slow.

What did the Batwa ask for in consultations?

During the 2022 and 2025 consultations for the World Bank VMGP, land ownership was consistently identified by Batwa communities as "the answer to almost all their development challenges." Specific requests included land purchase support, formal land titling for existing plots, and access to land sufficient for cultivation. Three Batwa-led organizations also requested that the World Bank project support land rights as part of its Batwa plan, though the project's scope does not permit this.

Is any land being purchased for the Batwa?

Yes, but at insufficient scale. The Batwa Development Programme has purchased land and constructed housing in several settlements. BMCT has also supported land acquisition. In the Rushaga area (Kisoro), BMCT bought land for the Batwa, though community members noted in 2025 that "more is needed, no formal land agreement." The Action for Batwa Empowerment Group holds land under a Church/BDP partnership but it is not legally owned by the Batwa.

Batwa Land Rights in Uganda — The Unresolved Crisis

Most Batwa near Bwindi do not own land. They were evicted in 1991 without compensation, and three decades later the Ugandan government has still not formally recognized their land rights or provided restitution. Some land has been purchased by NGOs for Batwa communities, but most titles are held in trust — not owned directly by Batwa families. During every major consultation since 2022, the Batwa have named land as their most fundamental need.

Source: VMGP for the Batwa around BINP, MWE/UWA, December 2025; Constitutional Petition No. 3 of 2013; MUST Social Assessment, 2020

Land as the Root Cause

The official World Bank VMGP document from December 2025 states this plainly: "Lack of land increasingly became a key component of Batwa's progressive marginalization and vulnerability." During community consultations in 2022, most Batwa believed that "land ownership, access, and use would be the answer to almost all their development challenges."

This is not an abstract claim. Without land, the Batwa cannot grow food. Without food security, children cannot attend school consistently. Without collateral, Batwa cannot access loans to start businesses. Without addresses on owned land, registration for government services is complicated. Every downstream development problem — education, health, livelihoods, dignity — traces back to the absence of secure land tenure.

The forest that was taken from them in 1991 was not only their home. It was their food system, their pharmacy, their spiritual anchor, and their economic base. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes that indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned lands. This right has not been honored for the Batwa.

How Batwa Land Is Currently Held

NGO Trust Land

The most common arrangement. NGOs purchase land and hold the title to prevent sale and protect the community's long-term interest. Batwa families live on the land and farm it but cannot legally sell it or use it as loan collateral. Examples: BMCT purchases in Rushaga, BDP housing projects in multiple settlements.

Church/Organization Partnerships

Some land is owned by religious organizations or NGO partnerships, with Batwa allowed to use it under informal arrangements. In the Buhoma area, ABEG holds land under a Church/BDP partnership. The land is not legally owned by the Batwa community.

Individual Informal Arrangements

Some Batwa individuals claim land that was given or sold to them informally, without proper documentation. Many do not have sale agreements. Some have no paperwork at all. This informal tenure is highly vulnerable to challenge by more powerful neighbors.

Squatting

A significant number of Batwa have no land arrangement whatsoever and squat on land owned by farmers or other community members. Some individuals in urban trading centers have been reported sleeping on shop verandas. This is the most vulnerable situation of all.

The Legal Case

In 2013, the United Organisation for Batwa Development in Uganda and eleven other petitioners filed Constitutional Petition No. 3 of 2013 against the Attorney General and two others. The case argues that the 1991 eviction from Bwindi and Mgahinga was unconstitutional — a violation of fundamental rights including the right to property and the right to culture.

The High Court issued a decision on August 19, 2021. As of December 2025, the World Bank VMGP notes that the case continues. The petition represents the Batwa community's most direct legal assertion of their rights and has drawn international attention to the land rights issue. Case documentation is tracked by the Forest Peoples Programme, which has provided legal support to the Batwa petitioners.

The case matters beyond Uganda. East African and African courts increasingly look to each other's decisions in indigenous rights cases. A successful ruling for the Batwa would set precedent for similar cases across the continent where indigenous communities were displaced for conservation purposes.

Land Is Outside the World Bank Project Scope

Three Batwa-led organizations (BDO, BIDO, BIEO) specifically requested land rights support as part of the World Bank IFPA-CD project in 2024. The project team responded that land acquisition falls outside the project's legal scope and cannot be supported through IFPA-CD funding. This limitation was clearly communicated to all stakeholders during the 2025 VMGP revision process. Land rights remain for other actors — governments, courts, and specialized NGOs — to address.

Batwa Land Rights

Land as the Root Cause

How Batwa Land Is Currently Held

NGO Trust Land

Church/Organization Partnerships

Individual Informal Arrangements

Squatting

The Legal Case

Land Is Outside the World Bank Project Scope

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Pages

The 1991 Eviction

Organizations

Livelihoods

Conservation Ethics