Kagame's Tough Policy on Land Grabbers Pays Off in Rwanda, Reports KT Press

NYAGATARE, Rwanda, Feb. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 1999, Annah Muhorakeye returned to Rwanda from Uganda where she lived as a refugee for 25 years. A peasant from Eastern Rwanda, largely dependent on farming, she spent seven years without any land to grow crops for feeding her family.

The mother of five would later, in 2008, be rescued from the misery by President Paul Kagame's rare visit. 

Kagame had been receiving reports about land grabbing in the area.  In 2006, he had assigned then State Minister for Lands, Environment and Forestry, Patricia Hajabakiga, to investigate and solve the matter.

She was threatened by some top army generals who owned massive plots. Among them are top Rwandan army Generals, ruling party big wigs, senators and senior ministers. When it came to the military, the situation was particularly delicate.

President Kagame decided to deal with the matter himself. He met hundreds of residents including Mukayuhi. He forcefully gave out 25 hectares to each resident, including Mukayuhi.

The National Land Office tells KT Press more than 30,000 hectares were shared in three districts; Nyagatare, Gatsibo and Kayonza.  "Kagame saved us," Mukayuhi says.

But the scandal was a result of a broken system. Until 2005, there was no proper land law, leaving Rwandans in constant squabbles.

Laurent Shyirambere, an 80-year-old man from Karongi district, Western Province, grew up in a family characterized by daily land-related wrangles. Land-related cases were increasingly pilling on local courts during his youthful era. "I remember my father threatened to kill his nephew over a small portion of land," says Shyirambere.

While the country was gripped by countless land-related conflicts and the urgent need to rebuild after the bloody 1994 genocide, in 2004, the European Commission, Britain and other donors committed to contribute 75% of the $60 million required funds to establish a land policy.

Eng. Didier Sagashya from the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority says after the policy, over 6 million titles have been issued and conflicts significantly decreased. As a result, the eastern province has turned from a once drought-stricken region to currently being the breadbasket of the country.   

As for Muhorakeye, the 25 hectares land is now her legal property. 

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SOURCE KT Press