Lawyers in District Land One-Stop Centre will soon be able to approve land transfers as a way of addressing the rising demand for land-related services, The New Times has learnt.

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Jean-Baptiste Mukarage, Director of Land Administration at the National Land Authority (NLA), said there are currently 44 land-related services whose applications are "approved only” by the NLA Director General and Chief Registrar of Land Titles. Most requests are about land surveying services, which facilitate land subdivision, registration and titling, among other purposes.

The official said there has been a backlog of pending applications that are not approved on time because the land authority has a limited workforce. In January 2026, he said, they had about 55,000 pending applications.

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When the land registry system was introduced more than 10 years ago, the NLA processed about 15,000 files per year. Today, the number of files has risen exponentially, including land transfers, registrations and surveying applications.

The land office recorded about 171,000 files in 2015. In 2025, it received more than 800,000.

"Over 2,000 applications or files are submitted every day, which makes processing time-consuming, as each file requires careful review and attention,” Mukarage said.

"District Land One-Stop Centre lawyers are currently undergoing training in Rwamagana District. They will begin offering these services next week. More personnel, especially from the private sector, are being brought in to support land processing.”

He added that there was a plan to collaborate with land brokers who facilitate land sales.

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Currently, there are 1,882 private notaries supporting land transfer processes since 2022.

"We also brought in land surveyors last year to subdivide land and submit application files to districts and then to the national Chief Registrar of Land Titles for approval,” he said.

"Currently, private land surveyors are helping to address the backlog of applications related to land subdivisions. Public servants alone are not sufficient to process all the files.”

At least 47 private land surveyors have been deployed to support public surveyors in handling a backlog of more than 55,000 applications in districts such as Bugesera, Rwamagana, Musanze and others.

Albert René Yuli Nahimana, a real estate developer, said that engaging District Land One-Stop Centre lawyers in approving land application files will reduce the time files take to be approved.

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"Districts have sufficient information on what is happening on the ground, and there was no need to wait for the national Chief Registrar to approve,” he said.

"The move will ensure faster service delivery. Applications for land services have increased because people are now more aware of land rights, and land sales are rising as people see them as a lucrative investment,” he said.

Janvier Bikorimana, another private certified land surveyor, said that one of the key factors behind the delays is the policy allowing the subdivision of agricultural land, even where plots are less than one hectare, to enable landowners to obtain land titles.

New regulations for engaging private practitioners

Mukarage said private land notaries and land surveyors were given permits to supervise land transfer agreements, but there is a need for regulations.

"There are currently no regulations governing private practitioners who support the land authority in processing land files. The draft regulations from the Chief Registrar of Land Titles will be issued soon. They will govern all private practitioners who will assist us,” he explained.

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The regulations, he said, will include penalties for malpractices. as suspension for a certain period or the loss of a licence to operate.

The National Land Authority has assured the public that requests for land-related services will no longer take more than 30 days.

3,000 personnel needed

The Ministry of Environment has said the private sector will play a central role in helping to provide the 3,000 personnel required to support and streamline the country’s land administration system.

Officials say this is aimed at improving land service delivery, accelerating land transactions and strengthening the management of land records, as demand for efficient land services continues to grow.

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The minitry said the 3,000 personnel needed for the land system are not exclusively public servants.

This number also includes private sector professionals who will support the processing of land files once the Land Administration Information System (LAIS) is upgraded to accommodate a larger number of processors.

The National Land Authority said the LAIS system is currently being upgraded to allow users to submit dossiers.

"Allowing accredited private firms to support high-demand land services, under district supervision, could ease bottlenecks, reduce waiting times and improve access for citizens,” says Joseph Ryarasa Nkurunziza, a civil society actor and Executive Director of Never Again Rwanda.

"What matters most is clear oversight, accountability and maintaining service standards while making the system work faster for people.”

He commended ongoing efforts to strengthen LAIS capacity and the openness to engaging accredited private professionals to facilitate fast land transactions.

Nkurunziza stressed that the government can partner with reputable private companies to handle boundary corrections and other technical land processes.

This model, he noted, would also help create employment opportunities for young people, particularly graduates in land management, GIS and topography, promote decentralisation of services, improve service delivery and strengthen collaboration with the private sector.

"This innovation can also ease the construction permit process and reduce the workload in Kigali, which administers the three districts,” he added.