The comprehensive land use master plans for six districts are set to be completed by 2025, according to a report by the Parliamentary Committee on Land, Agriculture, Livestock, and Environment.
The land use plans for the districts of Nyamasheke, Rutsiro, Ngororero, Nyabihu, Burera, and Nyanza are being developed in a way that reflects the unique needs and challenges of each district.
The report, presented at a joint plenary session of Parliament on February, February 18, indicated issues related to the implementation of the 2021 land law and pledges made by government officials.
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The development of land use master plans for the districts are developed to ensure the sustainable use of land.
"The land use master plans for Nyamasheke, Nyanza, and Nyabihu are currently being developed. They will soon be followed by those for Burera, Ngororero, and Rutsiro,” explained MP Alice Muzana, the committee chairperson.
The new land use plans align with existing and upcoming projects and needs in the districts, such infrastructural developments, environmental initiatives, population growth and community-based projects.
The development of the District Land Use Plans is crucial for guiding the sustainable growth of district.
These plans help determine land for agriculture, housing, infrastructure, and environmental protection.
The land use master plans also align with the urbanization policy. Rwanda's urban population is expected to grow from 27.9 percent in 2022 to 52.7 percent in 2035.
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By 2050, the urban population is expected to reach 70 percent, or around 18.5 million people. Rapid urbanization has brought challenges such as informal settlements, spatial inequalities, and environmental degradation, which need to be addressed to ensure sustainable and inclusive urbanization.
The six districts' land use plans are in addition to plans developed for other districts following the national land use master plan was unveiled in 2020. The National Land Use and Development Master Plan covers the period from 2020 to 2050.
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In 2024, the government launched land use master plans for eight districts, including Gakenke, Kirehe, Musanze, Ngoma, Nyaruguru, Rubavu, Rulindo, and Rwamagana.
Among these districts, Rubavu, Musanze, and Kirehe have secondary cities, while Rwamagana has a satellite city. The secondary cities are located farther from Kigali, while satellite cities are adjacent to Kigali.
The approval of the land use master plans for these eight districts in 2024 is in addition to the master plans for the City of Kigali and five other districts whose plans have already been approved.
Eight district land use plans were also validated by District councils and ready for cabinet approval soon. These include Bugesera, Rusizi, Karongi, Kayonza, Kamonyi, Ruhango, Gatsibo and Nyamagabe
Errors in land demarcations
While districts are developing land use master plans, landowners continue to face challenges related to errors in land demarcations.
MPs have given the Ministry of Environment a three-month period to outline plans for addressing this issue.
MP Christine Mukabunane raised concerns about landowners paying taxes on land that is not theirs due to errors in demarcation.
"There is a need to work with districts to assess the number of land demarcation errors that need correction,” said MP Muzana.
During the 2024/2025 fiscal year, about 8,700 demarcation errors were corrected across 10 districts.
Muzana also called for addressing delays in land-related services, including services to correct land demarcation errors.
The government plans to leverage technology and other strategies to rectify land demarcation errors nationwide by 2027.
By utilizing 10 GPS stations distributed across the country, land demarcation errors will be corrected with an accuracy of one to five centimeters. According to statistics from the Ministry of Environment, there are over 12,000,000 land parcels nationwide.