Land titles are set to go ‘paperless’ as the government prepares to digitise the property registration process.

The move means land and property owners will soon own and use electronic land titles to access different services such as bank loans.

Espérance Mukamana, the Director-General of Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority (RLMUA) told The New Times this will also save the government the cost of printing the title deeds and land transfer fees.

"A citizen pays Rwf5,000 to get a new printed land title. In case of land transfer, they pay Rwf30,000 in total.

Embracing paperless land title deeds will cut costs. However, there will be two options. One option is those who wish to request digital title deeds at no cost. Those who want to print them will pay that cost,” she explained.

Currently, she said, the land authority has issued over 10 million land titles in papers.

"Moving to land titles in electronic form will solve the issue of delay in delivering land titles. The new system will be faster and also reduce fraud in land titles. The cost of printing is also set to be reduced,” she noted.

The official said that they are working with Irembo, a Rwandan technology company that is digitising public services.

"We are partnering in building a system whereby a person in need of digital land title will get it through the system on Irembo Online platform,” she said.

She said that the exercise started in July 2020.

"We are now developing the system. We expect to launch the pilot phase in Gasabo District from April to July 2021,” she said.

Mukamana said that after the pilot phase, the system will be scaled up across the country.

"We hope that all land titles will be electronic by 2024. Paper land titles will no longer be necessary but anyone who needs it can print it,” she said.

How land transfer will be carried out

She said that the seller and buyer of land property in need of land transfer will use the Irembo platform to pay service fees and fill required forms.

"After signing, the file will be electronically sent to the land registry for record-keeping. After transfer, the buyer will get a notification and get the land title in electronic format,” she explained.

Meanwhile, the official said they anticipate some challenges.

These include citizens with digital illiteracy without skills to use smart devices while some parts of the country have no electricity and internet.

"That is why there are two options as flexibility where one can request paper land title while others can request titles in electronic form,” she said.

She added that project implementation will be carried out by the land authority and Irembo online platform staff in addition to technical support from the World Bank through an American company called Medici Land Governance.

Meanwhile, the Government has temporarily taken over the ownership of over 1.4 million plots of unregistered land until the owners come forward and have it registered.