Eastern Province Launches Initiative to Resolve Unregistered Land and Boundary Issues

Nationwide initiatives to tackle unregistered land and land demarcation mistakes have now extended to the Eastern Province, as reported by officials. A countrywide land tenure regularization program was implemented between 2009 and 2013, which involved land demarcation. ALSO READ: New land surveying guide promises to help address boundary disputes However, the technology used during that time was not precise, and some landowners did not register their land for various reasons. The National Land Authority (NLA) mentions that current efforts aim to ensure landowners register approximately 1.5 million parcels of land across the country, as these were previously temporarily registered as state property. While the state took ownership of unregistered land, rightful owners can still reclaim their property by providing proof of ownership. The government also plans to use technology and other strategies to fix land demarcation errors nationwide by 2027. Pothin Muvara, Registrar of Land Titles in Eastern Province, mentioned that a four-month initiative to address land issues will focus on correcting demarcation errors and registering unregistered land. “We are working with organizations like Landesa to tackle these issues,” he said. By using 10 GPS stations spread across the country, demarcation errors will be corrected with an impressive accuracy of one to five centimeters. More GPS devices are expected to be acquired to improve boundary data collection, while efforts to identify errors continue across different districts. Some districts, including Nyagatare, Bugesera, and the City of Kigali, have already allocated funds for the necessary materials. ALSO READ: Boundary errors, land disputes targeted in Rwf 2.2bn plan Meanwhile, Kayonza, Nyagatare, and Kirehe are collaborating with partners to address boundary corrections. The government is planning to spend Rwf2.2 billion to correct land boundary errors and fully automate land services on the Irembo platform. Correcting demarcation errors is a nationwide effort, with corrections being carried out at the district level. Each district will actively participate in identifying boundary issues to ensure planning is based on accurate data. So far, Eastern Province has gathered the necessary information and is now considering strategies for correcting the errors. Although the number of errors exceeds the capacity of available surveyors and land notaries, officials say there are plans to expand the workforce by involving interns with surveying backgrounds and engaging private surveyors. “There were also demarcation errors recorded when the government started land registration. These have caused disputes among landowners who are unaware of the discrepancies. Some errors were also recorded along the Rwanda–Uganda border,” said Cleophas Nsabimana, Land Manager in Rukomo Sector, Nyagatare District. ALSO READ: How automation of 10 land services solved accessibility issues Stephen Gasana, Mayor of Nyagatare District, stated that the district has partnered with the land authority and other stakeholders to assess cases of unregistered land and demarcation errors. During the 2024/2025 fiscal year, about 8,700 demarcation errors were corrected across 10 districts. Districts are identifying boundary issues to ensure planning is based on accurate data regarding the number of remaining errors nationwide, according to the National Land Authority. At the start of 2025, lawmakers gave the Ministry of Environment, which oversees the National Land Authority, a three-month period to outline plans for addressing the issue. Grace Nishimwe, Director General and Chief Registrar of Land Titles at the NLA, stated: “Land demarcation error rectification, which we carry out systematically, will not incur any fees for landowners.” Land demarcation errors as a source of disputes Jossam Potel, Director of Landesa—an institute that works to secure land rights—said that since a large part of Eastern Province was previously uninhabited, “the demarcations were not clear during the initial land registration exercise.” “Therefore, there are demarcation errors that must be corrected. Eastern Province districts share common issues in this regard,” he added. “For instance, two neighbors are supposed to own one hectare of land. However, you may find that one has 1.5 hectares while the other has only 0.5 hectares in the system due to demarcation errors. This causes conflicts, especially when owners seek loans from banks that require land as collateral,” he explained. ALSO READ: Kigali, Bugesera, Nyagatare, and Musanze top list of land dispute hotspots “The one with the larger plot is granted a loan. If they fail to repay it, the bank must sell the land. Then the land is auctioned, even though part of it belongs to another person. This triggers disputes,” he added. So far, he said, 54,000 land titles have been issued following the resolution of land-related issues. “These include 37,000 titles in Kayonza and 21,000 in Kirehe District,” he noted. He said that conflicts related to demarcation errors dominate land disputes. “Of the 27,000 land-related cases in Kayonza and 14,000 in Kirehe, those involving demarcation errors are the most prevalent,” he said. Addressing unregistered land Approximately 13% (around 1,371,951) of the total demarcated land nationwide is still provisionally registered under the Government of Rwanda, as the owners either failed to register or remain unidentified. ALSO READ: Govt to take over ownership of unregistered land Potel explained that, for various reasons, some owners did not register their land. “When land is not registered, it cannot be exploited productively. The owners lack land titles, as the government temporarily assumed ownership. Conflicts may arise when someone sells such land and the buyer cannot register it due to the provisional state ownership. We are working to resolve such issues in Nyagatare, Kayonza and Kirehe, where owners can now register their land,” he said. There are over 23,000 unregistered plots in Nyagatare District. He added that some land in model villages was also not registered to the residents living there. “Plots were designed and demarcated in 77 villages housing 2,500 people, but they were not registered to their owners. The exercise is ongoing to assist owners in registering their land,” he noted.