Peter Abura, hails from Makok Village, Kodike Parish, Nabwal subcounty in Napak District. He proudly serves as a Community Champion with UCOBAC, contributing to the project focused on “Strengthening Women’s Access to Decision- Making on Communal Lands and Natural Resources.”
“My journey with UCOBAC began in May 2023, a period when I had limited knowledge about land laws. However, a pivotal training session at Lavender Inn in Moroto opened my eyes to critical land legislation that emphasizing equal land access for both men and women”.
Abura shared that the common belief in his community is that that only men can own land. It is also believed that inheritance should be along the male lineage. Additionally, cases of widows losing their land rights is distressingly common in his community. After the training, he realized that these practices were deeply rooted in cultural norms.
Armed with newfound knowledge from UCOBAC, Abura and his fellow community women’s land rights champions set out to challenge these discriminatory norms.
“I started trekking my entire village educating the community about the land laws and how to promote equitable ownership and inheritance rights for women and girls”
Abura further stated that during the community training sessions held, the champions emphasized among other topic, the importance of equitable will writing. Other community conversations were around joint decision making, joint land registration, women’s participation in land governance, gender and social norms etc.
These community conversations are transforming gender relations in regard to land access, ownership and decision making at household and community level. The process is allowing the community to interrogate existing social norms and identify those that are discriminatory to women and girls and harmful to individuals, families and communities. The communities are also adopting practices that will lead to lasting positive change in their homes and community at large.
