Improving tenure security for the poor in Africa

Rwanda – Country case study
Improving land tenure security for the poor in Rwanda

Legal Empowerment of the Poor Working Paper #7

The paper argues that current land reform holds the potential to improve tenure security for the poor in Rwanda. However, the components of the envisaged reform which are necessary for improving access to land in Rwanda are not sufficient to provide the base needed for sustainable livelihoods of poor groups. In viewing the country-specific context of Rwanda, the study questions whether external advice and resulting regulations for improving security of tenure for the poor actually can provide answers to problems of sustainable livelihoods, especially in terms of reducing specific forms of poverty, vulnerability and marginalization. In particular, it is questionable whether current land reform efforts in Rwanda can be expected to be efficient and effective in reducing poverty and promoting sustainable and pro-poor growth.

The paper uses secondary data from recent land studies and a specific survey of 70 households to illustrate land issues in Rwanda as they relate to poverty. A conceptual frame is provided to support the argument that access to land is a broader issue than is usually perceived. Beyond access to natural resources, it also encompasses access to credit, technology and modern production conditions. Likewise, land reform cannot be confined to land redistribution alone. It should include agricultural organization and management – in other words, it should encompass agrarian reform.

More specifically, the paper focuses on the problem of land access in Rwanda. Three problems are identified. First, land has been the property of the state for many decades. Land titles are only common in urban areas and in a few rural areas where churches, especially the Roman Catholic church, have secured ownership of large plots of land. The section gives a historical background of land tenure in Rwanda and concludes by showing how the 1994 genocide exacerbated the land problem. The displacement of households caused by the genocide coupled with influx of other Rwandans returning to the country after being in diaspora, some for as long as three decades, has led to a problem of multiple claims on individual plots. It is argued that land reform in terms of law and policy is an attempt to answer the problem and the historical ambiguity of land rights in Rwanda.

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