<p>The Lake Victoria basin is a critical area for economic growth, food, energy and ecological significance for the East African community. However, changes in land use and land cover (LULC) are threatening the basin ‘s ability to provide these essential services. Despite its importance, there are limited studies focusing on LULC changes, including predictions in the basin particularly in the Ugandan Region. This study addresses this gap by investigating LULC changes in the Namanve area of the Lake Victoria basin of Uganda over two decades (2002–2022) and provides projections for 2042. Using satellite imagery and advanced classification techniques like Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Combined Attributes-Artificial Neural Network (CA-ANN), a significant change in LULC was observed between 2002 and 2022. The results showed a 4.32% decrease in forest areas, a 0.32% decrease in water bodies, a substantial 22.51% reduction in agricultural land, and a 6.17% decrease in bare lands. These findings highlight notable shifts in land cover over the 20-year period. In contrast, built areas and wetlands increased by 31.71% and 1.60%, respectively. Projections for 2042, indicate that these trends will continue, with built areas expanding further by, at the expense of forests, wetlands, water, agricultural, and bare lands. These findings have implications for resource availability, environmental degradation and sustainability of life in the area. By providing insights into past, present, and future land use patterns, this study enhances our understanding of the LULC dynamics in the Lake Victoria basin. The findings contribute to filling the gap in comprehensive studies on LULC changes in the region and provide a valuable basis for stakeholders to develop strategies for sustainable land management and conservation efforts.</p>