By Ineza Leontine

Lush mountains stretch as far as the eye can see from Musanze’s town center, interrupted only by the summits of the Virunga volcanoes rising above the clouds. Not far from here, mountain gorillas draw thousands of tourists a year at $1,500-a-day excursions.

In the picturesque town in Rwanda’s Northern Province, a two-hour drive from the capital Kigali, unchecked growth has seen new houses mushroom throughout the community without any effective regulation.

This is the city of Musanze.

Many of the new houses are being built without the necessary permits, exposing problems with the district’s land registry, enforcement mechanisms, and local governance, according to district officials and long-time residents.

“We’ve gotten used to seeing houses spring up almost overnight,” said one resident, who asked that her name be withheld to avoid repercussions. “In just three days, a new house can be built, but you rarely see any building permit displayed,” the woman said.

“Some builders pay local leaders like village chiefs or cell executives to protect their illegal construction,” she added.

Her concerns resonate beyond the urban sprawl. A smallholder farmer outside Musanze expressed frustration with haphazard enforcement of building rules by the district. “Some land is officially reserved for forests, but people still build there without facing consequences,” said the farmer, gesturing to a nearby development. “If you have money, you can build anywhere. The poor follow the rules and suffer for it.”

HISTORICAL GAPS

In 2003, Rwanda conducted a nationwide land reform program through the Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority (RLMUA), assigning unique parcel identifiers, or UPIs, to every plot of land. It was part of the government’s Land Tenure Regularization Program (LTRP) aimed at formalizing land ownership, improving land tenure security, creating a centralized database of landowners, reducing land conflicts, and enabling better land taxation and planning.

However, in Musanze, like in other parts of the country, some landowners failed to complete the LTRP registration process, said Herelimana Ignace, acting director of the One-Stop Center for the office of land, settlement, and infrastructure in Musanze. This was particularly common among families who had inherited land, properties entangled in family disputes, and rural areas where access to services was limited, he said.

As a result, many plots of land still lack formal titles, which has led to land invasions, family conflicts, and informal land sales, Ignace explained. “In some cases, individuals build homes or sell land without legal papers,” he said, adding, “Some use personal influence or bribes to bypass regulations and exploit unregistered land.”

This is a house in Musanze district that was demolished for being built without permits.

“Sometimes, relatives or others may use the land without the owner’s knowledge or permission. This often sparks family disputes and legal complications,” he said. While the land disputes are being settled by the courts, the land is often illegally occupied.

INFORMAL APPROVALS

The picture is further complicated when sales are approved by local leaders.

“Individuals sometimes approach village chiefs, cell executive secretaries, or sector land officers and obtain unofficial protection to build without permits, especially in rapidly urbanizing areas,” he said, “When district authorities eventually discover these constructions, they proceed with demolition.”

To tackle corruption, Musanze District has implemented a new policy requiring local leaders to sign consent forms confirming they will not authorize construction without proper permits.

Building permits are also necessary to ensure safe and sustainable development, officials said.

 “Unauthorized construction often fails to meet safety standards, putting occupants at risk,” said one district official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. According to Rwandan law, illegal construction must be demolished, and fines imposed on those who build illegally.

HEAVY HUMAN COST

The slow and often confusing permit process pushes some residents to seek shortcuts.

One resident, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, admitted to paying bribes to speed up his building process.

“I paid a bribe to a cell official to get permission to build quickly,” the man said, “Sometimes officials warned me not to build, but I sold the house before it could be demolished. It’s common here.”

A resident who builds without permits, even if the house is complete, will be demolished because building without permits means they are building in a place designated for other purposes and even putting their lives at risk.

He added: “People build without permits and quickly sell the properties to avoid losses. When authorities discover illegal buildings, the new owners often lose their investment.”

Clarisse Uwanyirigira, deputy economic development officer for Musanze District, said there was a detailed master plan for developing the town with clearly marked areas for residential housing, farming, forests, and tourism. “Residents must consult local leaders before construction to ensure compliance and protect the community,” she said.

Director General of the National Land Authority, Marie Grace Nishimwe, said protecting farmland was fundamental for the country. “The NLA has established systems to prevent unauthorized land conversion, with district authorities regularly monitoring land use,” she said.

A building permit, issued when a person has gone through the legal process.

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