The ongoing process of land registration has proved that gender parity related problems are becoming prominent in many household quarrels over land property. Officials in the Gender Monitoring Office have teamed up with representatives of land policy in the country and local leaders in Murama Cell of Kinyinya Sector in Gasabo District, to evaluate how gender equality issue is handled during the process of land registration. Murama Cell is one of the five cells that were chosen countrywide to serve as a model of practical experience in the land registration process on which government has embarked. The Gender Monitoring Team is in the cell for evaluation since Monday, and they are scheduled to meet local citizens there with whom they are expected to discuss the land registration process. Explaining the basis of this evaluation, Cyrille Turatsinze, the Deputy Chief Monitor in charge of Gender at the Office, told area leaders that the citizens need to understand the importance of gender equity and how it is related to land rights. “Women have the same rights over land as men, and these rights must be observed during the registration process” he said. Flanked by the in charge of the fight against GBV at the same office, Eugenie Kabagema, they explained to the leaders that most family disputes result from land, saying that their office is doing what it takes to prevent such misunderstandings. Leaders from various villages (Imidugudu) in the cell said that the land registration process faced a number of challenges, ranging from understanding the concept to the difficulties of paying the Rwf 5,000 contribution. But Francois Ntaganda from the national land registration programme elaborated that the most pressuring challenges faced so far are related to gender parity, where it is at a married couple’s discretion to decide how land is registered. “In some areas, you find a man illegally married to three or four wives and in this case you find a big number of off-springs and a very small plot of land to be shared,” he said but was quick to add that in such a case, priority is given to children. As the land registration process continues, the newly appointed Gender Monitoring Office has also vowed to continue with inspections to make sure gender parity is observed. Ends
