Rwanda Initiative for
Sustainable Development

Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) is a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) whose work is based on policy research, networking and advocacy. RISD is considered by many as one of the most active NGOs in Rwanda because of its approach and engagement. For over six years, their main focus has been on land related issues, a programme that runs until 2014. The programme includes land policy, land reform rights etc. The Chronicles’ Jean de la Croix Tabaro and Andrew Shyaka, held an interview with RISD founder and Director Annie Kairaba, who shared her organisation’s views on land reform and their key interventions. Below are excerpts:

What have been your organisation’s achievements from your land interventions so far?
When we started engaging in issues of land in 1999, land was seen just as a government issue. We requested the government to understand that it’s important to involve the population and other non spectators for land to be effectively exploited and transparently owned by Rwandese. In that area, Rwanda has really achieved a lot because it now looks like a model because the government involved the population and now (the issue of) land is openly discussed. If you hear leaders going anywhere, if you followed the prime minister visits, president visits, the people are now openly discussing about it. In the past, nobody used to ask about land, that’s a big achievement for us.
You’re talking of people owning land but actually, many of them complain about it claiming it is largely for rent. Where is the ownership?

Actually, when I talked of ownership, I just meant the process. Rwandans own the process of understanding and involvement in land issues. Before, nobody would talk about land apart from (government) officials who would just come and say, this is what we are supposed to do and if you don’t do it, we will take the land. But today, it’s different; people are asking their rights. Coming back to your question on the current setting after the land registration where people are asked to pay for rent and lease, that’s also part of confirmation of ownership. I think now if you own a (piece of) land and you expect the government to register it and give you the documents, then you have to contribute and that’s the lease the government is talking about.

As a civil society organisation, what is your proposition on the contract of 20 years as land rent in urban land?

To be very honest, at a personal level, I feel 20 years is too short a time for Rwandese; this is one area as civil society that we are raising concern about because you can’t expect someone to get a loan from a bank after you put up a house because you may take 10 years to build the house. Then, after you have completed your building, you’re told that ‘we want this area’, that one has not been well thought-out. Another thing that we are actually looking into as civil society is the ownership of land by foreign investors. Our land is not enough for Rwandese. But when foreign investors come, they come with money, speculate and buy land. So, we are really worried about the outcomes.

How is the government responding to the issue of foreign investor’s ownership of land in Rwanda?
Of course they say, this a free economy. Rwanda is a free economy and RDB (Rwanda Development Bank) is good at attracting investments.

Then what happens to the locals who want land if foreigners take it all because they have more money than local investors? They say that the locals will benefit from the investors when create employment and the economy gets better.

What are you predicting from that situation?
It’s not well managed; we are going to have more landless people, more robberies, insecurity, more street children and some people breaking houses because they don’t have a place to stay. Others will sell their parcels of land because with land registration, even when you have your lease paper, you can do anything you want with it. Through customary landownership, that’s where the advantage was; people couldn’t just sell the land because of the family ties. So these are things we need to monitor, media has to come in also to monitor.

How fair do you find expropriation in Rwanda?
Our expropriation plan is good in the region, if not in Africa but the implementation goes wrong. It will not be like the past where mayors could simply write a letter telling people to move and even decide for them money. The law says it has to be clearly agreed by the seller and it’s not the instructions of the mayor or anybody. This is a situation we have experienced in the last two years. They could say CAISSE SOCIALE wants land; RAMA wants land, people move out. That has been stopped by the leaders especially the mayors in Kigali. Normally, it’s the private sector that will be purchasing.