Gov’t intervenes in tea firm, residents’ land row

THE government has offered to arbitrate in a long standing land row pitting Rwanda Tea Company (SORWATHE) against residents of Kisaro sector in Rulindo district, Northern Province.The issue recently attracted heated debate during a provincial security meeting held in Gicumbi District and the Governor of the province, Aimé Bosenibamwe, promised to request the Ministry of Natural Resources to arbitrate the standoff. The issue dates back to the year 2000 when the then Minister of Lands, Prof. Laurent Nkusi, gave a directive to avail approximately 35 hectares of a forest to the company, part of which belonged to local residents.It was done in a bid to save the company from closure owing to lack of firewood, an essential raw material in tea processing.There was no better alternative, especially because there was an increasing demand for Rwandan tea on the global market at that time. However, about 10 hectares of this land is confirmed to genuinely belong to residents.For 13 years, SORWATHE was authorised to use this land to expand its production activities but delayed compensation has resulted into what seems to be “encroachment on residents’ property” claim.About 35 residents who were affected claim that their land was unlawfully acquired by the tea company, a reason for which they demand compensation.They demand compensation fees amounting up to Rwf 70million because on contemporary market estimation, a hectare of planted forest costs between Rwf 5 and 7 million.“My office and the district local administration will jointly seek audience with the Ministry so as to find a lasting solution to these expropriation misunderstandings,” Bosenibanwe said.The Governor said that he expected all parties to comply with the existing framework and come up with an amicable understanding to solve the problem. However, it has emerged that over this long time, some residents had taken advantage of the existing land wrangle to ‘inflate’ their land sizes, a concern that is currently under investigation.Rulindo district Mayor, Justus Kangwagye, says that it was very difficult for his district to single-handedly establish the required compensation measures saying that the central government’s intervention was needed.“Even though the land was given away by competent authorities, the Ministry of Local Government does not own land, that’s why it is very appropriate for our counterparts in charge of natural resources to intervene,” he said.Marcel Murego, an official in charge of Administration at SORWATHE, said his institution was aware that some of the land belongs to individuals and they are ready and fully committed to solve the issue.“We strongly support the idea of involving the government to find alternative land for these people, but if a clear budget framework on how to buy off this land can be availed, there is no

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Gov’t intervenes in tea firm, residents’ land row