Report cites corruption in land-related services

THERE IS NEED for land-related service providers to diligently serve the citizens without asking for bribes as it affects their development. The call was made by officials during the launch of a survey conducted on service delivery in the land sector in the City of Kigali and secondary cities in the country. The report, released yesterday in Kigali, was conducted by Transparency International Rwanda with support of German development support agency, GIZ. The survey targeted urban sectors of the City of Kigali and the secondary cities of Huye, Muhanga, Musanza, Nyagatare, Rubavu and Rusizi districts. It aimed at assessing how land related services are delivered. According to findings, the average corruption experience stands at 10.5 per cent in general with Rusizi at 18.4 per cent followed by Huye District at 14.1 per cent, while Nyarugenge and Musanze districts are the least corrupt with 6 per cent and 4.1 per cent, respectively. Marie-Immaculée Ingabire, the chairperson of Transparency International Rwanda, attributed corruption to insufficient staff in land-related departments, lack of integrity and ignorance among service seekers. “There are few employees in land related services while some services are also paid online which requires service seekers to make additional payments,” she said. Ingabire urged the public servants to shun corruption and commit to serve people as their prime responsibility, adding that it is the reason they are hired. “Service seekers must also desist from all forms of corruption as they end up losing. If asked for a bribe, report it immediately so that we intervene. It is important to know that if you deserved any service and you pay for it, you are the loser while those who don’t deserve it and pay for it are also losing because if you want to build a house illegally, it will be destroyed,” she added. Officials also noted that some land service providers tossed service seekers around with endless appointments until they eventually came across a middleman who promises to help with faster service in return for bribe. Fifty per cent of all service seekers have to make additional payments in terms of transport costs for service providers on field visits while banks often demand fees for money transfers of non-account-holders, officials said. Relevant research Odette Uwamariya, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Local Government and Social Affairs, said the survey would inform decision makers to seek solutions to avoid corruption and provide better services to the citizens. “This research is speaking to us directly and challenges everyone to see what they can do. I am happy to see a problem highlighted so we look for ways to address it. I noticed that we still have a lot of issues to address, some of them we can solve today,” he said. Uwamariya said that the report will be shared with the ministry and other players to ensure that solutions are sought together. Esperance Mukamana, the Rusizi District land officer, said there are malpractices in land-related service delivery and some are attributed to understaffing. “We know that land related services are not provided well but we are trying to do our best to ensure that we offer better services and we are hoping that we will have enough staff to complement us,” she said. Land-related services include seeking notary approvals, land titles and permits. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Report cites corruption in land-related services