Abstract
AbstractThis study sheds light on recent land law (land tenure) reform in Rwanda by examining its close and complex relations with state-building. By prioritising land law reform and receiving strong support from external funding agencies, the post-civil warRwanda became the first African country to complete land registration throughout its territory. Land law reform should be considered a part of the radical interventions in rural areas frequently implemented by the Rwandan Patriotic Front-led government and, therefore, has been closely connected to its aspiration to reinforce the existent political order. The government has utilised reform and external financial support for this purpose. However, despite the success of the one-time land registration, Rwanda has encountered serious difficulties in institutionalising sustainable registering systems since transactions of land have been recorded only in exceptional cases. Additionally, it suggests that the government does not have a strong incentive to collect accurate information about properties in rural areas. The widening gap between recorded information and the real situation may affect land administration, which is of tremendous importance to Rwanda and, thus, possibly undermine state control over society.
Highlights
Appointed by the ruling parties, the PARMEHUTU and the MRND (Mouvement républicain national pour le développement) under the Kayibanda (1962–1973) and Habyarimana (1973– 1994) regimes, respectively, often reallocated the land left by Tutsis who had fled from Rwanda for the sake of poor landless Hutu farmers (André and Lavigne Delville 1998)
The 2004 land policy marked the beginning of the recent land law reform in Rwanda
As Rwandans had no tradition to live in gatherings, their dwellings had been scattered on the hills
Summary
“Introduction: Drastic Rural Changes in the Age of Land Reform”, recent land law (land tenure) reforms in Africa have had important and complex implications on politics and state-building. Rwanda is a representative case, as the country has utilised land law reform to consolidate the existent political order. The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which was a former rebel group and seized
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