Landowners in many parts of Kigali are decrying delays in procurement of construction permits for residential houses because of lack of settlement sites known as "physical plans”.

This is despite the fact that these areas are already dedicated as residential zones in the Kigali City Masterplan.

According to the master plan, physical plans are well planned and designed settlement sites with physical infrastructure including public services, drainage, transport, economic activities, recreation, and amenities to protect the environment.

Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority (RLMUA) says no resident can get a construction permit in such residential zones before physical plans are established.

Land owners in such residential zones are requesting the government to fast-track the establishment of physical plans to pave the way for access to construction permits for decent housing.

Schadrac Masengesho, has a plot of land in residential zone dubbed ‘R1’ on the master plan in Miduha area in Nyamirambo sector of Nyarugenge district but he has failed to get a construction permit.

R1 or ‘residential area one’ is an area where bungalows or single storied residential homes can be built.

"I am currently renting and I want to build my own house but I cannot get a construction permit. I think the government should set up a way to facilitate people who have land in zones dedicated to residence, to get permits. Otherwise more people will continue to form informal settlements,” he said.

Janvier Ndikubwimana, is another resident who has a land in Ayabaraya Cell in Masaka Sector of Kicukiro District.

However, he told The New Times that they have failed to get a construction permit because of lack of a detailed physical plan.

"Many people are buying land in this area to build residential houses. However, many end up building without permits because the site has not been appropriated with those amenities…and local leaders fail to prevent such informal settlements from cropping up,” he said.

Protais Mpayimana, the head of Urban and Rural Development Planning at Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority (RLMUA) told The New Times that the implementation of the master plan has phases and therefore detailed physical plans (well-planned settlements sites) will also be developed in phases due to lack of enough budget.

"Such residents can’t get construction permits because the districts have not yet established physical plans. This requires a huge budget to first set up infrastructure before giving green light for construction and therefore it has to be done in phases,” he said.

He said that at national level the land use master plan including physical plans will be implemented in two phases namely from 2020 to 2035 and from 2035 to 2050.

However, he said that each district also has different phases which means some areas have already got physical plans while others are gradually being developed depending on available budget.

"For instance, you can see that some districts will implement the land use master plan in the phase running from 2028 to 2035. The physical plans are implemented in phases starting with areas of priority and because it requires a budget to set up basic infrastructure,” he explained, adding that constructing in line with physical plans could avoid further informal settlements.

Currently over 61 per cent of the country’s population lives in informal settlements and according to officials, the new guidelines have been developed to ensure people shift to formal settlements.

Meanwhile he said that physical plans can be developed earlier than the planned year depending on the population demand.

"Land readjustment committees will soon be established at grassroots level and they will participate in developing physical plans. They can also raise their own money that can help develop the area into a well-planned settlement site without relying on the government budget,” he said.

The committees will use an approach  promote optimal use of land through a participatory and inclusive planning process where landowners of the given site voluntarily consolidate their plots for proper infrastructure and public space servicing with technical support of government authorities.

Where are demarcated settlements?

Jean Ngirabakunzi, the Urban Planner/Master Plan Review and Development Control Officer at the City of Kigali told The New Times that laying out settlement sites according to the land use master plan is depending on growth and development projections.

"Physical plans cannot be set up at once in all areas because the master plan is implemented in phases but we have to satisfy population/client needs in terms of plots for construction,” he said.

So far, he said, some of the sites where land readjustment practice for settlements applied in Kigali City are Bisambu and Nyabikenke sites in Gatenga Sector, Nuga and Karembure Phase I in Gahanga Sector, Karama phase I in Kanombe Sector, Gako site in Masaka Sector and Kigali Phase I site in Kigali Sector.

"These are at the end of implementation. There are other sites where implementation has started and others are going on,” he noted.

The country’s population is projected to increase nearly two-fold by 2050; from the current 12 million to 22 million people, according to estimates from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).

Rwanda’s population density will increase from 415 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2012 to 1,000 inhabitants in 2050.

According to estimates by Rwanda Housing Authority, the country needs at least 5.5 million housing units up from 2.5 million units in 2019 to accommodate an estimated 22 million people in 2050.