Ir. Sylvain Muyombano

Ir. Sylvain MUYOMBANO is the current Head of Land Administration Department at National Land Authority (NLA). He has 15 years of experience working in land governance (Land registration and titling, land conflict resolution). He actively participated in the land tenure regularization program in Rwanda where 11.4 million parcels covering 99% of the country were registered.  He is part of the leading team working on sustaining the land administration and management in Rwanda. He is also the chairperson of Land Administration Change management and innovation committee since 2015.  He holds a Master’s degree of Science in Geo-Information Technology and earth observation applied in Land Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Political and administrative sciences. He studied law and administration in secondary school.

RUTAGENGWA Alexis

Alexis RUTAGENGWA is an Urban& Regional Planner and an Environmental Geoscientist. He holds a master’s degree in Geo-Information Science for Environment and Sustainable Development and a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Planning.

He had opportunities to undertake professional trainings and study visits in Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia, India, The Netherlands, Sweden, South Korea and United States of America. He is currently Head of Land Use Management and Mapping Department at National Land Authority since 2017, where he played part mainly in the NLA strategic planning, the revision of the National Land Policy and land law, the elaboration of the National Land-Use and Development Master Plan (NLUDMP) 2020-2050, District Land Use Master Plans, and other land use management decisions, the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Hub, development of national basemaps and topomaps, enhancement of Rwanda Geodetic Network (RGN) among others.

He worked previously as a Dynamic Information framework specialist for World Bank and KOICA funded Projects (LWH-RSSP-RCSP-FRDP) at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources. Prior to that, he served in the former National Land Centre, as Geographic Information System (GIS) professional where he played an important role in Land Tenure Regularization program which systematically registered all lands in the country.

E-mail: [email protected]

Mpayimana Protais

Protais MPAYIMANA - An urban and Land use  planning practitioner with over 8 years of experience as a Division Manager in the field of spatial planning and 3 years as a lecturer of Urban planning, physical planning and land use planning related courses at the University. He has a Msc in Environmental Management, a Bachelor Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE).

Consistently recognised for excellence and contributions to success in the urban planning and management industry. He has formal qualifications in urbanisation field and a good understanding of current Rwandan land use planning and management. His key strengths include extensive knowledge of urban and rural planning and related local and national legislation and policies.

He is currently the Division Manager of Urban and Rural Planning at the National Land  Authority and responsible for Districts Land Use Plans, Physical plans, informal settlements upgrading plans and he always seeks to promote Urbanisation in Rwanda in line with the National Land Use and Development Master Plan 2020-2050 with target to achieve 70% of urbanisation rate by 2050 from the current 27.9%. Before joining National Land Authority on 1st April 2021,He served as Rural Settlement Planning and Development Division Manager at Rwanda Housing Authority from 2015-2021, and contributed a lot in the development of all IDP Model Model villages in the country. From 2014-2015, He was a Director of Rural Housing and Socio-Economic Infrastructure Unit at Rwanda Housing Authority; and Since 2012-2015, He was a lecturer of spatial planning related courses at Mount Kenya University (GIS and Remote Sensing, Urban and Rural Planning and management, Land Use Planning and management, Urban and rural planning tools, Environmental Sciences, Industrial ecology, wetland management, Ecology and Bio-analysis, Infrastructure planning and management,…). From 2010-2012, he was a GIS Expert in land Registration under the project funded by DFID at the former Rwanda Natural Resources Authority. 
He also strives to ensure the good performance of the staff he leads through comprehensive internal work management.

E-mail: [email protected]

Jean Pierre Twizeyeyezu

Mr. Jean Pierre Twizeyeyezu is a legal professional serving as Registrar of Land Titles in Western Province.

Before this position, he worked at the NLA from 2018 to 2026as Legal advisor, Land Litigation Specialist and State Attorney representing the State in complex land disputes and advising the institution on legal matters.

He holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Law from Wuhan University with high distinction as well as an LL.B. and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD). 

Mr. Twizeyeyezu began his career in journalism (2005–2018),reporting for Contact FM, Kigali Today, and KT Radio,mainly covering parliamentary debates and court proceedings.

At the NLA, he contributed to the 2021 Land Law, coordinated legal work with Lantmäteriet (Sweden), and served as IDLO focal point in developing Rwanda’s Manual for Resolving Land Disputes. He also served on the NLA Disciplinary Committee  nd as Data Protection Officer.

During his studies in China, he served as Commissioner for Investment, Development and Research of the Rwandan Community in China and Advisor to the Rwandan Community Abroad in Wuhan.

He speaks Kinyarwanda, English, and French, with working knowledge of Chinese.

Email: [email protected] 

Dr. Mireille BIRARO

Dr. Mireille BIRARO has more than 15 years of experience in land administration and land governance starting from 2009 during the land tenure regularization program conducted in Rwanda; as a senior lecturer in land management and valuation at INES-Ruhengeri until her appointment as the registrar of land titles.

Dr. BIRARO hold a PhD in Land Policy and Governance from the Institute of Land Administration of Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia. She holds a Master’s of Science in Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation for Land Administration from the University of Twente in The Netherlands and a Bachelor of science degree in Geography with specialization in Urban and Regional planning from the former National University of Rwanda. 

For 12 years, Dr. Mireille BIRARO worked at INES-Ruhengeri, a private university located in Musanze district, as lecturer in the department of land management and valuation. At INES-Ruhengeri, she occupied different positions as the head of the department of land management & valuation; the director of international relations and the dean of the faculty of sciences & information technology. 

During the Rwanda Land Tenure Regularization Program, Dr. BIRARO, who was a fresh university graduand, worked as a GIS Professional for Land Registration in the former National Land Center (the current National Land Authority). 

Her researches thesis, both in master and PhD level, were on maintenance of land information systems, with a focus on developing countries, including Rwanda.  Being in academia, she also coordinated different researches in the domain of land administration, land management and geo-spatial sciences. 

Email: [email protected]

Tuyisenge Jean Claude

Jean Claude Tuyisenge is a legal practitioner with a Master’s Degree in International Economic and Business law together with a post graduate diploma in legal practice.

He has over 10 years of working experience, he started his career in the Judiciary of Rwanda where he served as a Judge of both primary and commercial courts from October/2012 to November/2017.

From November 2017 up to March 2026, Jean Claude Tuyisenge was the Registrar of Land Titles in Western Province. From March 2026 he is the Registrar of Land Titles in Eastern Province.

Email: [email protected]

Mukunzi Augustine Emmanuel

MUKUNZI Augustine Emmanuel is a Lawyer, holding LLB.
He has over 25 years of working experience, he has mainly worked in Land Governance in Rwanda. He is among the pioneers of land reform that took place in Rwanda where he occupied the position of Deputy Registrar of Land Titles in Eastern Province since (2006 – 2016) and Coordinator of the team partitioned Gishwati farms  2007- 2008.  

Before, he served as head of Litigation Unit at the Ministry of Justice 1998-1999, as Public Prosecutor of Cyangugu Province December 1999 – August 2004 at the Ministry of Justice and at National Prosecution as Public Prosecutor of Umutara Province (2004 – 2006).
From 2016 up to March 2026 MUKUNZI Augustine Emmanuel was the Registrar of Land Titles in Northern Province, now he is the Registrar of Land Titles in Southern Province from March 2026.

Email: [email protected]

Vedaste Uwayisenga

Vedaste Uwayisenga is the Registrar of Land Titles at the National Land Authority. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Director of the Construction Permitting One Stop Centre Unit at the City of Kigali, where he played a key role in overseeing and coordinating construction permitting processes.

His professional career spans multiple sectors, reflecting extensive expertise in urban planning, land management, housing, and infrastructure development. Vedaste previously served as an Advisor to the Mayor of the City of Kigali, where he contributed to strategic initiatives related to housing development, urbanization, and the upgrading of informal settlements.

Earlier in his career, he served as Urban Planning Officer at the City of Kigali, Land and Infrastructure Officer in Eastern province and City of Kigali, a Research Assistant for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Land Project and as a Geo-Field Technician with RSC, an Australian mining company.

Vedaste holds a joint degree of Master of Science in Regional Development Planning and Management from the Technical University of Dortmund in Germany and the Federal University of ABC in Brazil. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Rwanda.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Vedaste is an active member of the Local Consultative Board for the Africa Cities Lab (ACL) project in Rwanda, where he contributes to discussions and initiatives related to sustainable.

Email: [email protected]