As Rwanda prepares to launch the Citizen Participation in Planning Month, the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) has introduced a major reform—using mobile money (MoMo or Airtel Money) to pay citizens awaiting property compensation. The approach seeks to resolve persistent delays that have affected thousands of residents awaiting expropriation payments.
Rwanda’s citizen-centered governance model ensures that people play an active role in identifying and planning projects that affect them. According to MINALOC, ensuring timely compensation is essential to maintaining trust and promoting active participation in national programs.
Jean Claude Ingabire, the Director of Planning and Monitoring in Local Government, confirmed that the ministry is finalizing systems to enable payments through MoMo.
“We want citizens with small pending compensation amounts to receive their payments easily through MoMo. This will help prevent backlogs and ensure fair treatment,” he said.
The issue of delayed expropriation payments was raised during the May 27, 2025, session of the Chamber of Deputies, which called on the Ministry of Finance (MINECOFIN) to prioritize repayment of outstanding compensations in the 2025–2026 national budget.
Recent reports show 102 pending cases worth Rwf 48,348,528, with RTDA accounting for most of them—Rwf 18,787,830—linked to road projects such as Kagitumba–Kayonza–Rusumo and Kibaya–Rukira–Nasho, ongoing since 2019.
Other cases, including 17 residents in Jabana Sector, Gasabo District, have remained unresolved for over a decade, despite property losses from electricity grid expansion in 2012.
According to MINECOFIN, delays often result from citizens lacking complete documentation, particularly land titles. In projects funded jointly with development partners, the government sometimes bears full responsibility for compensations when partners fail to allocate funds.
Through this digital payment reform, Rwanda aims to create a faster, transparent, and citizen-friendly compensation process, ensuring no property owner is left waiting years for payments they deserve.
