Kigali: Over 6,000 properties located in wetlands, other inappropriate areas

Auditor General Alexis Kamuhire has raised concern about more than 6,242 land plots that have been found in wetlands and other areas deemed unsuitable for construction, warning of potential financial losses for both property owners and the government. ALSO READ: ‘Preventive audits’ could save billions of Rwandan francs lost in public projects According to him, the City of Kigali, through its council, approved its master plan in 2020, and as part of its implementation process, the city was required to carry out detailed physical planning for designated construction sites. However, he pointed out that 19 out of the 30 approved physical plans contained inconsistencies or contradictions with the City of Kigali Master Plan. As a result, 6,242 plots were identified in areas designated for other uses or which were not suitable for housing, such as wetlands, forests, high-risk zones, areas beneath high-voltage power lines, and sewage pipe corridors. “The fact that houses were constructed on these plots, despite the areas being designated for other purposes, poses a risk of financial loss, either to the government or to the homeowners who built them inappropriately,” he cautioned. ALSO READ: Value of idle government assets halved in 2024, say auditors The audit, he said, revealed that the area allocated for residential development exceeded 8,300 hectares. However, only 49 per cent of this total area had corresponding physical plans in place, he pointed out, adding that 6,176 construction permits were issued for developments in areas lacking approved physical plans. Overall, the Auditor General’s report showed improvements in some areas of public finance management. They include the fact that the number of public entities that obtained a clean audit opinion on value for money increased to 66 per cent in 2024 from 59 per cent in 2023, which represents a seven-parentage rise. Value for money in utilisation of public funds focuses on determining whether resources are used in an economic, effective and efficient manner.

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Kigali: Over 6,000 properties located in wetlands, other inappropriate areas