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Lack of affordable houses in Kigali’s industrial areas fuels slum growth

Tuesday March 26 2019
industries

Experts warn that the lack of affordable housing around Kigali’s industrial areas is fueling growth of unplanned settlements around and in the corridors of the Central Business District. PHOTO | CYRIL NDEGEYA

By JOHNSON KANAMUGIRE

The lack of affordable settlement around Kigali’s industrial areas and upcoming employment centres is fuelling growth of unplanned settlement around and in the corridors of the Central Business District, experts have warned.

The analysis of constraints faced over the implementation of the 2013 master plan, which is currently under review, show the current locations for affordable housing projects are away from urban area and decentralised in the city fringes and suburban areas.

A November 2018 report suggests that the City risked succumbing to the pressures of illegal settlement and congestion, if nothing is done.

“The master plan update should bring them closer to the city to refrain from urban sprawl,” it recommended.

The report further emphasises the need for the city to prioritise filling the housing demand gap and curb the proliferation of unplanned settlements in view of estimated 100,000 people, mostly low-income earners, who are entering Kigali each year in search of better services and jobs, as per official data.

The lack of low-cost accommodation has been blamed for the growth in terms of population growth in neighbourhoods of Kigali such as parts of Kamonyi, Rwamagana, Rulindo and Bugesera.

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In these zones, residential houses are preferred by low income earners due to the high rents in the city. Unfortunately, these settlements take place sometimes without prior planning for access to key amenities.

Demolitions

Another section of Kigali where residents still live in informal settlements is across the City’s old suburbs, but these face eventual demolition.

An advisory committee to the City during their December 2018 meeting expressed concern that it was almost impossible to foot this cost until authorities devised a different strategy to improve the living conditions within these unplanned areas.

Government data indicates that six per cent of the City’s land is still taken up by crowded, unplanned settlements without proper access to infrastructure and other public facilities.

City of Kigali authorities have cited the extensive private land ownership in areas where affordable accommodations are most needed such as in the proximity of industrial areas as having rendered it difficult for investors to develop low-cost housing.

Land acquisition

Fred Mugisha, Director of Urban Planning and Construction One-Stop Centre, Kigali City Council said the City had, as a result, come up with the land banking strategy by allocating a chunk of its annual budget towards acquisition of land to facilitate potential investors develop affordable housing.

He added that although the process would take time, they hoped to stimulate supply of affordable housing through collaboration with investors to address other constraints around the cost of construction materials and connection to key infrastructure.

City authorities rejected the notion that the lack of low-cost accommodation had propelled growth of unplanned settlements, arguing that government was enforcing strict building regulations to check further proliferation of unplanned housing.

Rwanda Housing Authority says that government was banking on a number of ongoing and planned housing models to increase the supply of affordable housing to meet the shortage and meet future demand.

Kigali faces an annual supply gap of 16,923 low-cost houses largely blamed on the low interest by developers in investing in real estate.

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