Upcountry insight: President restores hope of livestock farmers

Until last week land reforms have generally been perceived as a contentious issue, but in the Sector of Karangazi, Ngagatare, a long line of new landlords formed without parting with a coin. Land, like women, has been a source of conflict to the extent of leading to spill of blood. The new land owners were to be determined in a raffle, in a land redistribution exercise presided over by President Paul Kagame. Different people formed the queue as their leaders watched on them; others were in the line ostensibly to ask the President their fate since they were guilty of occupying the part of land that falls within the confines of a military school. But before several people ask the same question, the president calmed them with assurance that they would not be evicted, until they get them new plots. Many were not sure of which parts they would be allocated until somebody told them it’s through a raffle. Bosco Gasana, one of those in the queue owns a herd of cattle but has no grazing land; he sold some of them ever since the government discouraged local breeds. Though he still owns cattle, he has lost contact with his herd and buys milk when he likes it, like anybody else. He relocated his herd miles away towards Akagera national park and it takes him a day riding on a bicycle to reach the park side. During this period he has lost count of his animals; it is upon the herdsman to declare the right number he owns. Quite often the herdsman tells him wild animals killed his one or two cows. Gasana thinks the man is playing games with his animals, but restrains himself from uttering a word.With such experience, Gasana thighs loudly with relief as the land redistribution kick off. “I think the president has people at his heart,” he says. Otherwise how could one think of getting land without paying for it? Others in the queue shake their heads in the affirmative. “Yes this is a new Rwanda,” another added. “Life has not been easy at all,” says Matabaro, you lack grazing land and you even lack where to till,” if all leaders were like this I hope we would not have killed each other. Earlier the people who owned big chunks of land went to verify their plots; no body knew when the redistribution exercise would materialize, until last week. Though, using the method seen as the most a transparent, by raffle, President Kagame expressed fears that some people may acquire land by proxy. It is hard to beat the tricks of fraud stars. The unscrupulous individuals will always find a way out. If we are to go by his fears, we shall see land changing ownership in name but not in real ownership. Therefore, as the exercise is scheduled to resume this week in other eastern parts of the province, such fears should be erased. This calls for local leaders’ honesty to register genuine people needing land. The mess must be corrected; corruption should not be allowed to flourish. Otherwise truth will always prevail however long it may take. Another issue worth looking at is whether the land redistribution will interfere with the program of extensive production in line with the government revolution program. The leaders should not let extensive production flop with the new land fragmentation, the new land owners should be encouraged to work together by growing especially specialized crops on a large scale. Removing land from the hands of the few first class or middle class citizens whatever class you put them should be seen as a chance to have this land utilised unlike before when it was lying idle. Ends