The Governor of Western Province, Jean Bosco Ntibitura, has pledged to address land-related issues, acknowledging them as a critical challenge grappling the region. This commitment follows recent dismissal of 12 employees from One-Stop Centre in Karongi who were fired from their duties over “poor service delivery” related to land in the district. ALSO READ: Governor Ntibitura cautions border community on genocide ideology Speaking to The New Times, Governor Ntibitura emphasised his focus on resolving land issues at sector level to provide long-term solutions for the population. The situation is going to change, he said. I am committed to ensuring that good service delivery related to land is quick and smooth. Almost all the issues from this region are associated with land services, notably issues of land titles, registration, and building permits. Those are the key services that have not been working well, which we are trying to find a solution for, added Ntibitura. Untimely issuance of building permits has also been a challenge in Rubavu Town and Busasamana Sector. Théogène Ntawangwanabose, Head of the Rubavu Private Sector Federation (PSF) Committee that oversees the town's upgrading said lack of building permits and other land-related issues has slowed down the initiative. Timely delivery of land titles and building permits is a significant challenge highlighted by property owners, he added. This has resulted in idle plots and impedes the ongoing rehabilitation efforts. In Busasamana, residents of the main trading centre of Gasiza are also concerned about the lack of land titles. This issue, which has persisted for over 15 years, prevents residents from insuring their commercial buildings, securing loans from banks, as well as upgrading their buildings. We are urging our governor to advocate for us at a higher level, said Léon Harerimana, a resident of Gisiza. The problem seems to be beyond the district's capacity, or perhaps authorities have been slow in addressing it. “We cannot insure our commercial buildings, something that can be detrimental in case of fire accidents for our tenats,” Harerimana pointed out.
