Rwanda is a hilly and evergreen country located in East Africa with an area of 26.338 km2.
Its population varies between 11.78 millions of people.
Land issues are very delicate especially that
they touch on the fundamental essence of every society, especially in as far as the land
ownership which constitutes the major factor of production and the population‟s best way of
living. It therefore becomes clear to everyone that for Rwanda‟s sustainable development, the
priority is to put into account the land dimensions as it is the highly ranked resource in the
Rwanda‟s socio economic life.3
Land is the surface of the earth identified by specific boundaries, including the airspace above
that portion of surface, the minerals beneath it, and surrounding biodiversity, erections and
developments on that surface. In legal terms, it is an immovable and permanent asset inclusive of
rights associated with the surface of the earth from the centre to the infinite sky.4
Land is a fundamental resource of the nation state.
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Without land, without territory, there can be
no nation state. Housing, agriculture, natural resource use, and national security concerns are all
based upon land management and use.6 Hence, land is seen as one of the most important and
fundamental natural resource that is exploited by people to get their daily living means