Land wrangle goes to sector level as contention grows

EASTERN PROVINCE BUGESERA—Mwogo sector executive secretary Oscar Murwanashaka has directed the leadership of Rugunga cell to halt the demarcation of pieces of land currently under contention between Jacqueline Bazizane and her father in-law Kinyogote. In his letter dated October 25 to the Nyamata lower court seen by The New Times, Murwanashaka asked the court to address the problem of Bazizane who contested the ruling of the cell arbitrators allegedly citing irregularities. The court is yet to decide on the appeal. The land wrangle has reportedly been a subject of contention over time according to area residents. Bazizane, a widow, alleges that the cell arbitrators were corrupted into ruling the case in favor of Kinyogote and later duped Murwanashaka to endorse the June /July 2007 ruling of the arbitrators, which directed the duo to share the peace of land estimated at one acre in Mwogo. The demarcation was reportedly halted after Genocide survivors in the area protested the move, forcing Murwanashaka to repeal the decision. Bazizane alleges that Kinyogote wants to grab a peace of land formerly owned by his former husband on grounds that they had not legally married by the time he was killed during the Genocide. Kinyogote in the past reportedly confiscated other property including a bicycle and two heads of cattle belonging to Bazizane. All efforts to contact Kinyogote or any member of the arbitration committee were futile. “I had reported a case involving other property but the arbitrators ignored it and colluded to award Kinyogote the only piece of land I used for cultivation,” said Bazizane, adding that if authorities did not intervene, Kinyogote insisted that even if she won the land case he would not allow her to occupy it. Ends