As homeowners in Kangondo and Kibiraro villages in Gasabo District relocate to the new Busanza estate in Kicukiro District, tenants are being given a one-month rent, The New Times has learnt. The tenants are also facilitated to move their belongings to their new places of residence in an ongoing exercise to evacuate the area ahead of the heavy rains that are likely to devastate the slum area. An official from the City of Kigali who confirmed the information said the amount of money given to the tenants varies according to how much they are being charged for rent in the new houses. City authorities set a deadline to have evacuated all 1,300 families living in the slum dwelling covering three villages of Kangondo 1, Kangondo 2 and Kibiraro by Sunday, September 18. Those who own houses have been given new housing units in an estate in Busanza, Kicukiro District. However, an unspecified number of families lived in rented houses and they will not benefit from the Busanza village. “We are providing one-month rent to tenants who are relocating from this area,” Solange Muhirwa, the Chief of Urban Planning for Kigali City, told The New Times. “The amount varies according to the type of house and neighbourhood – you know we don’t have harmonized rent prices in Kigali. Some say they need Rwf20,000 for one month, others Rwf25,000 or Rwf30,000 and that’s what we give them.” The number of the tenants who will benefit from the social support is not yet clear, Muhirwa said, but she assured that every tenant who needs support will get it. “We want people to move from this place as soon as possible, before the rains can cause any damage,” she said. The Busanza model village has 1,260 housing units for families who had properties in the three evacuated villages.
