Corrections of land boundary inaccuracies are planned in 582 villages across the country under the 2026/27 budget, according to information from the National Land Authority (NLA). ALSO READ: New land surveying guide promises to help address boundary disputes Rwanda undertook a nationwide land tenure regularisation programme between 2009 and 2013, during which more than 11 million land parcels were demarcated, registered and issued with titles. However, the classic technology used at the time relied on general boundary mapping, which lacked precision. ALSO READ: Govt pledges to clear land subdivision service backlog in one month “After the land registration exercise conducted from 2009 to 2013, issues related to land boundaries began to emerge, leading to disputes over boundary errors and the payment of the required taxes. Therefore, there is a need for a dedicated budget to correct land boundaries, especially in the 582 villages,” reads a presentation submitted by the NLA to the parliamentary Committee on Budget and Patrimony. Grace Nishimwe, NLA’s Director General, told The New Times that the top five districts with the highest number of affected villages are in Ngororero (240 villages), followed by Kirehe (68 villages), Nyarugenge (55 villages), Ngoma (42 villages), and Bugesera (34 villages). The ministry of environment is advocating for the budget allocation for the next fiscal year after it was not initially considered in the Budget Framework Paper presented to Parliament last week. At least Rwf2.2 billion is required for the exercise. ALSO READ: How private notaries have eased land ownership transfer services Nishimwe said the affected areas need to be re-surveyed in order to identify the plots concerned. So far, boundary errors affecting 222,423 land plots have been corrected following the rollout of upgraded land surveying technology. After the acquisition of improved technology, boundary errors are now corrected each year depending on the available budget. With the deployment of 10 GPS reference stations across the country, boundary corrections can now be carried out with an accuracy of between one and five centimetres. The government also plans to procure additional GPS devices to further improve data capture, while districts continue identifying plots that have errors. ALSO READ: Kigali, Bugesera, Nyagatare, and Musanze top list of land dispute hotspots “The issue of land demarcation errors requires urgent attention. In Gishwati, some farmers say the land registered under their names differs from the land they actually own due to demarcation errors. The finance ministry should take this matter into consideration and provide the required budget,” said MP Speciose Mukandanga. She added that there is a need to integrate the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) tax system with the Land Administration Information System (LAIS) so that adjusted land plots are automatically reflected in the tax system. MP Théogène Munyangeyo said there is a need for a nationwide assessment of land boundary inaccuracies beyond the 582 villages already identified. “The process of correcting land boundary errors should be simplified. If there are delays, disputes and court cases will continue increasing,” he added. Environment minister Bernadette Arakwiye, said they want to fast-track land boundary rectification. “Once the land system is improved, it will also boost land tax collection. We also need to use Land Week to help landowners rectify the errors. Advocacy is needed to secure the required budget.”
