The City of Kigali has announced the completion of 688 housing units constructed under Mpazi Rehousing Model in Gitega Sector, Nyarugenge District, as part of its strategy to upgrade informal settlements. Up to 368 housing units were on Wednesday, May 14, handed over to an initial group of households, including landowners who used to have old houses in the area. The model involves contributions of land from residents, on which units are built to accommodate more households. ALSO READ: Mpazi rehousing model to move more families from unplanned settlements Landowners receive homes based on the value of the land they contributed and the number of old houses previously situated on that land. This rehousing scheme actively involves both owners and tenants in the upgrading process. “In the previous phase, we constructed 105 housing units. With the addition of 688 new units, the total has now reached 793. Today, the first 172 households received their 368 housing units, Emma Claudine Ntirenganya, city spokesperson said on Wednesday. The number of households is lower than the number of housing units because one household can be allocated multiple units, depending on the value and size of the land and properties they previously owned on the site where the new units are built.” ALSO READ: Inside models to upgrade unplanned settlements in Kigali She added that more 310 households will receive their units in the upcoming phase. “They include vulnerable households and those affected by natural disasters,” Ntirenganya noted. Deo Mucanshuro, a resident who received three housing units said the initiative has ensured that his family is safe from disasters. “I had old houses that could easily have been destroyed by disasters, he said. This housing model is timely because it did not relocate us. We received decent housing and remained in the same area.” ALSO READ: City of Kigali to use $70m to upgrade major unplanned settlements The area has also been upgraded with improved infrastructure, including roads, water and electricity supply, sanitation, and proper waste management facilities. Ntirenganya said that the Mpazi Rehousing Model will be replicated in different parts of the city. “The model will be replicated in the same area around Mpazi, as well as in Nyabisindu and Nyagatovu in Gasabo District,” she said. The planned rehousing of unplanned settlements in Nyabisindu is expected to benefit some 1,300 families who live in an area of 38 hectares. The Nyabisindu Rehousing Project is modelled on the Mpazi programme and forms part of Kigali’s broader urban development initiatives aimed at upgrading informal settlements. The City of Kigali aims to construct 10,000 housing units over the next five years using the same model—a significant increase from the approximately 1,000 units currently in place. City officials are looking at areas such as Gatsata in Gasabo District and Muhima in Nyarugenge District as potential sites for replication of the model. Currently, an estimated 60 per cent of Kigali’s population lives in informal settlements. With the scaling of planned settlements like the one in Mpazi, ity planners say this figure could be decreased to 20 per cent by 2035.
