The LandNet Rwanda Chapter Organization and coordinator 'Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development' (RISD) published a new working paper on land in Rwanda:
Securing Land Rights Project: A Working Paper on Land Tenure Regularization in Rwanda
Summary by Robin Palmer (Global Land Rights Policy Specialist at Mokoro)
'There is a distinct gap between conceptions of land deployed
by the Land Tenure Regularization Program (LTRP) framework and
the law and how rural Rwandans perceive and use land. Argues that land
mediates relationships between people and any attempt to transform land
must also take into account these relationships. Many people have left
their titles at the registration office because of prohibitive fees and
taxes. Over 85% of open land disputes are on parcels that have already
been registered through LTRP, while registration is activating latent
disputes and creating new disputes. Access to land is becoming more
precarious and people are losing a sense of belonging. Inheritance is
the single most frequent cause of land disputes. Far from streamlining
dispute resolution, the LTRP appears to have done the opposite. Entire
families are losing their access to land through the registration
process. Found that the Abunzis (local mediators) were unclear about the
land laws but were the ideal actors to bridge the gaps. The banks have
no use for land or land titles. Concludes that despite all the problems
listed, a land titling program like the LTRP is urgently needed in
Rwanda.'
Download (566K pdf) from the RISD website here