Last week, Members of Parliament demanded that all abandoned property should be registered after a survey indicated that most of it in the country is not registered.According to MPs’ June 2013 report, for example, in the whole of Gasabo District, authorities recorded only 28 abandoned houses and three plots.This is not an isolated case- there is unregistered abandoned property across the country.While the 2004 law which gives government the power to repossess or freeze abandoned properties is currently under review in Parliament, a comprehensive register of all abandoned property should be undertaken with urgency.Most abandoned property belongs to genocide suspects or convicts with blood on their hands, and the chances are high that they will continue to gain from this property and even use funds from such property to fund subversive activities.In some cases, beneficiaries will be blood relatives, which is why information on their existence is rarely volunteered since their relatives prefer not to divulge the information.The database will ensure that authorities keep track of all abandoned property.But the most important thing is that the Commission in charge of Abandoned Property will be in position to ensure proper management of such abandoned property, including ensuring that the property in question is well run and is not illegally grabbed by certain individuals.The commission should ensure that the abandoned property meets its obligations, including with banks, insurance and the tax body.Also, this move will prevent Genocide perpetrators and other dissidents from getting money from their property to finance subversive activities against the government once received by relatives who support their cause.
