The public will now be able to access information on land at their fingertips following the launch of land-use maps at the lowest administrative level; the cell. The cell-level land use maps, launched last week in Butare Cell, Huye District, will enable locals to check by themselves via Internet or at the office of their respective cells. Speaking at the launch, the Minister for Natural Resources (MINIRENA), Vincent Biruta, called on land owners to continue using land for what it has been designed for to develop themselves and the country. The launch of the dissemination of Cell-Level Land Use Maps was held under the theme, “Giving Citizens Access to Land Use Maps.” Biruta said that although there were master plans at the national and district level, there was need to have master plans at lower levels, adding that the launch at the cell level was an important activity of taking the land use information closer to the people for them to know what their land was designed for. The minister said the move intends to sensitise Rwandans about land planning and use based on proper management. “Today, if there is a map showing the cell master plan, it means every person, without going far, can come and see what land in a given cell is designed for or their land is planned for. A person can know if the land was designed for agriculture or industry in the future, residential purpose and others; this helps them to plan for the use of their land,” he said. “We are convinced that land-based disputes will decrease because, currently, all land is registered. Everyone can now come to the cell and see their parcel on the map with the number of the parcel corresponding to their title,” he said. He said the population density in the country was 419 per square kilometer, which was one of the highest in the world. “The government has put efforts in proper land use because the land we have is small yet the number of people increases on a daily basis,” he noted. The minister said because of all the problems, the government instituted many programmes to ensure proper land use and management, including the 2004 Land Policy, the 2011 National Land Use Master Plan, and master plans for districts that started to be prepared in 2012. Alphonse Ubonabaseka, a resident of Save Sector in Gisagara District, said the maps will prevent people from using land for what it was not designed for because they will have land information close to them. The Director General of Rwanda Natural Resources Authority and Registrar of Land Titles, Emmanuel Nkurunziza, said 11.3 million parcels of land have been demarcated in the country, with 9.1 million land titles distributed. The new land-use maps will be aided by the National Land Use Portal, an online platform that enables land plans, other maps and related information to be easily accessible to the public, which was launched last year. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
