A total of 960 households, comprising 4,173 people, have been relocated from the high risk Kangondo 1, Kangondo 2 and Kibiraro villages in Remera Sector to the new estate in Busanza, Kicukiro District.

This was confirmed by officials from Kigali City on Friday, September 16.

The number represents 76 per cent of all the residents who are expected to be evacuated to Busanza estate, according to official figures obtained by The New Times.

City authorities have set a deadline of Sunday, September 18 to have evacuated all the 1,260 families living in these three villages ahead of the heavy rains.

The area is one big slum, which is at high risk of devastation by heavy rains.

More than half of the families had relocated to the estate by late August. Despite reluctance by some of the residents, this week has seen an increase in relocating households as the deadline approached.

As of Thursday morning, some 593 households remained to be relocated.Some 300 households remain to be relocated by Sunday.

All the residents will have moved to the Busanza model village by Monday, Pudence Rubingisa, the Mayor of Kigali City, told The New Times on Friday evening.

"Because we have continued to encourage the residents to relocate, all of the families are now willing to move into their new homes in Busanza," Rubingisa said.

The relocating families are facilitated by the city to move their belongings to Busanza model village.

The estate has 1260 housing units, valued between Rwf14 million and Rwf35 million. They vary from one to three bedrooms with a living room, equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom.