Abunzi credited with settling land disputes

The Ministry of Justice has said the community mediators’ committees, commonly known as Abunzi last year successfully arbitrated 80 per cent of land disputes across the country. The rest of the cases were adjudicated in conventional courts. This was said on Sunday by Anastase Balinda, the Executive Secretary of the mediators’ secretariat in the Ministry of Justice, during an event aimed at sensitizing the public to engage mediators in securing land rights. The sensitisation session took place in Rubengera Sector, Karongi District. Balinda said community mediation, especially for land related disputes requires proof and proper understanding of the context of the dispute. “There is no better person to solve such disputes than a mediator,” he said. Balinda added that mediators are not only helping the country’s judiciary in reducing the backlog of cases ending up in courtrooms but have also enhanced harmony within communities. “This success is attributed to the level at which citizens are well conversant with local mediation, making arbitration much easier on the community level compared to legal jurisprudence,” Balinda stated “They know the truth, they mediate on voluntary basis. They also solve disputes very fast,” Balinda said. Annie Kairaba, the Director of Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) a local NGO that supports the mediators’ activities in 10 districts, says they are impressed by the rate at which the mediator’s have contributed to solving home-grown disputes. “In our research, the rate at which land disputes are solved at the community level is impressive compared to those disputes forwarded to courts. This has reduced the court backlog, but also ensured sustainable solutions to home-grown disputes,” she said. RISD supports the Abunzi programme through their project dubbed “Securing Land Rights,” through periodic training of mediators. Domina Mukakabera, the president of Rubengera Mediators Committee, challenged stakeholders to come up with more training to equip mediators with ethics and professionalism while dispensing their work. Between July, 2012, and May last year, the mediation committees received 40,118 cases, of which 32,474 were successfully settled. Only 6,123 cases were referred to conventional courts. The latest report by Office of the Ombudsman shows that 15 per cent of murder cases in the country in the last fiscal year were related to property, mainly land.

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Abunzi credited with settling land disputes