4.1.2. Local Government and Communities' Needs

Similar needs were identified by local government, who prioritized needs around digital data and supporting software, and a related desire for land tenure information to be more readily integrated with existing or planned land use and infrastructure. In general, land use tended to accord with the use defined on the title, but inconsistency is starting to be an issue in areas transitioning to more urban land use types. Here, it is common for the community to be found not using their land as zoned, or in some instances, attributed to the information on the title not being updated. For example, in one Cell, despite being rezoned for urban land use (residential), some land titles still reflected the previously planned agricultural land use. In these instances, it appeared that land records were only updated if the landowner formally seeks a building permit or other land-related services; otherwise, the land title remains unharmonised with the Master Plan. Also, although most of the land in Rwanda has been demarcated and titled during the LTRP, some plots (or owners who occupy the plots) remain untitled due to information gaps at the time of the LTRP, e.g." lack of identification, family disputes, etc. The use of general boundaries during the LTRP for demarcation for titling has also not been updated accurately due to the resolution of GPS receivers (3 meters) or lack of GPS receivers, leading to the on-ground practices like pacing by foot to resolve conflicts.

Lack of information, or lack of access to information, about the Master Plan (i.e., information about proposed new development) was identified. This inhibits the ability of local government to play a role in plan implementation. Additionally, given that the Master Plan plays a crucial role in setting out future development, it appears that local community consultation is ad hoc. For example, in some villages, local communities do not participate in the establishment of the master plan/LUP: in some others, only Cell officers are contacted, whereby it then falls onto them to inform the community; in yet others, local consultation has been undertaken.

In summary, it appears that at the Cell level, land information needs can be generalised as lack of access to development information (which affects land use practices and enforcement of intended land use types) and lack of up-to-date spatial and administrative information about individual parcels or persistent gaps in information.
