Lawmakers have raised concerns over persistent delays and irregularities in the approval of building permits in Kigali City, urging reforms to ensure organised urban development.

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In a plenary session on September 17, the MPs warned that inefficiencies have not only delayed the approval of building permits but also undermined the implementation of the city’s master plan.

Alice Muzana, the chairperson of the parliamentary committee on land, agriculture, livestock, and environment, said delays to prepare detailed physical plans for specific parts of the city has been one of the root causes of the delays.

A physical plan for a city is a detailed spatial document that organizes the city's land use, infrastructure, and public facilities to improve the physical, social, and economic welfare of its residents.

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An audit presented to the parliament revealed that the City of Kigali never set annual implementation plans specifying clear targets, required resources, and the role of partners in preparing physical plans.

"Between July 2019 and December 2024, Kigali approved just 34 detailed plans, 17 of them with delays ranging between 226 and 527 days. Worse still, 19 physical plans were approved in violation of the Kigali City Master Plan, affecting 6,242 plots, including some located in wetlands, steep slopes, drainage channels, and high-voltage electricity corridors,” she added.

Among other issues, nine building permits were issued in areas not designated for settlement.

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The committee also highlighted the city’s failure to provide complete responses to building permit applicants where by instead of giving full feedback, the officials issued partial replies and repeatedly requested additional documents, which caused long delays.

"Some applicants were eventually denied permits after months of being sent back and forth. In several cases, construction proceeded without foundation inspections, and some buildings were even occupied without authorisation,” Muzana said.

In their explanation, the city officials noted that the delays in approving plans is attributed to the requirement that at least 90 percent of landowners must sign before a site’s physical plan is validated.

The city officials also promised that wrongly charged amounts would be refunded in fiscal year 2025/2026, and new digital platforms enhanced with artificial intelligence are now being used to verify construction plans automatically.

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On the issue of buildings constructed without inspections, the City of Kigali said inspectors are now required to respond to foundation inspection requests within three days, though staff and equipment shortages remain; they are deploying drones to strengthen building monitoring.