Eliminate fake title deeds racket

The Rwanda Natural Resources Authority earlier this week issued an alert to commercial banks and other financial institutions to be wary of presentation of fake land titles and take appropriate measures when granting loans to their clients.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Rwanda Natural Resources Authority earlier this week issued an alert to commercial banks and other financial institutions to be wary of presentation of fake land titles and take appropriate measures when granting loans to their clients.This is regrettable coming when the country has made substantial progress towards ensuring an ideal land registry system that has ensured that thousands of citizens have rightful claim to their land, which they normally use as collateral to secure bank loans.With a view to putting a check on any likely proliferation of such dishonest actions, the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, that is charged with issuance of title deeds, announced plans to connect banks and financial institutions to the Land Administration Information System (LAIS), a web-based tool used in the process of land registration and certificates issuance. According to the authority, LAIS was introduced to create a more efficient, cost effective, quick and transparent land registration processes.This, as well as any other steps the government may take in its efforts to protect the interests of our financial institutions and an unsuspecting public, the fact is that deceitful individuals lurk among us and is it possible for them to easily exploit technological loopholes or think up new ways of doing so.It would, however, become almost impossible to discern this until it is too late when a lot of money has been ‘invested’ and lost, hence the need to unearth the syndicate behind this rip-off, before it becomes rampant.Thus, Rwanda Natural Resources Authority’s initiative to assist banks to verify the authenticity of land titles is a further testimony that the government is ready to go to all lengths to ensure that fraud has no place in society. In the long run, nonetheless, it is vital for the lands body to time and again invest in modern and tamper-proof systems thereby routing fraudsters in their own game.This is also a wake up call for government and any other agency that offers security documents to be on the look out for production of fake documents.