Yes, that's right. You may own the land, but we all own the minerals underneath the land.
The law says that the minerals in Uganda belong to all Ugandans, and the government keeps them on our behalf. This means that you, as a landowner, have no right to start mining and selling those minerals without the government's permission.
Instead, suppose your land is 'discovered' to have any minerals. In that case, you are entitled to compensation in the form of money and sometimes relocation to another place so that you can start over while the government 'harvests' the minerals on behalf of its citizens.
This is called compulsory acquisition, and it is one of the powers that the government has. If you are dissatisfied with the compensation, you are entitled to dispute it and even take the matter to court and tell the court what you think your land should be worth.
📷: Courtesy of the Uganda Museum
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