MUSANZE — A huge backlog of cases from the Northern Province are related to land wrangles and succession issues due to the polygamous nature of families in the area. An official from ombudsman’s office, Virginia Nyiranzeyimana, revealed this after a meeting with residents. The meeting was aimed at sensitising residents on a number of legal issues including judicial proceedings, land and succession laws. Nyiranzeyimana criticised the local authorities for having not been more active in explaining to the residents about legislative framework whose lack of understanding by residents she said has bred conflicts and family disputes. The president of Musanze Grand Instance, Riziki Izabela, also noted that over 70 cases which are handled by the court are related to land disputes, which he blamed on polygamy. During the meeting, the officials also discovered that there are delays in disposing of many cases pending in local courts. They recommended that some of the sector executive secretaries who have not been authorized to offer localized interventions should do so in order to clear some of the backlogs within formal courts. Ends
