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This policy brief aims to inform policy and current practices governing land expropriation in Rwanda drawing on recent research carried out by the LAND Project. The brief elaborates on the legal framework and procedures guiding expropriation and on reported practice based on information gathered from primary and secondary sources. It then proposes measures that would potentially strengthen implementation of expropriation exercises countrywide.
In drafting this policy brief, the authors examined laws and policies governing expropriation, reviewed relevant literature and articles in the media, and interviewed key informant interviews from government institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs). Key informants1 were selected based on their knowledge of and involvement in expropriation issues.
Following this introduction, Section 1 presents legal definitions of expropriation and discusses the history land expropriation in Rwanda, including factors that led to the drafting and promulgation of law and policies that have influenced the practice of expropriation. In Section 2, we elaborate on domestic policies and laws as well as international legal instruments to which Rwanda is signatory that guide how expropriation is implemented. We examine in depth Law no 18/2007 relating to expropriation in the public interest and the different organs involved in expropriation.
In Section 3, we highlight factors driving expropriation in Rwanda and issues emanating from the implementation of expropriation of Rwanda, particularly in urban zones. Drawing on information reported by key informants, the media, and published papers; we examine the practice of expropriation and the outcomes experienced by those who have been expropriated. In the fourth section, we policy and other recommendations based on lessons learned from expropriation exercises in Rwanda and analysis of how they can be improved to facilitate more favorable outcomes.
