Construction of some 104 affordable housing units is underway in Gahanga Sector of Kicukiro District under a project called Aheza Urban Village. The development is part of ongoing efforts to tackle growing housing demand in the City of Kigali. The construction started in April and is expected to be completed before the end of 2026, depending on the readiness of buyers, according to Aime Muzora, an engineer and the Managing Director of Girinzu Developers, a real estate firm that is working on the project. ALSO READ: City of Kigali mulls new plan to construct 10,000 affordable houses, upgrade slums The cost of the units ranges from $23,000 (approx. Rwf32.5 million) for the most affordable units to $180,000 (approx. Rwf254.5 million) for the high-end options, he added. The project adds to the 90 units already completed in the housing project called Umutuzo Village, located in Kagasa Cell, the same sector. All the units in the first phase were sold out. The second phase comprises 104 new houses, with half of them already purchased. Muzora said the homes are being built in various categories to meet clients’ needs, adding that demand for affordable units remains high. ALSO READ: Innovative models Rwanda can leverage to boost affordable housing “We offer a flexible payment plan with five instalments aligned with the construction timeline. The idea is for buyers to complete their payments by the time construction is finished,” he said. Muzora also noted that Rwandans are actively participating in the purchase of the homes, with more than 60 per cent of buyers being Rwandan nationals. The Mayor of the City of Kigali, Samuel Dusengiyumva, highlighted the government’s broader vision for increasing access to decent housing. ALSO READ: Kigali needs 18,000 affordable houses annually “This year alone, we completed 688 housing units in Mpazi Model Village and are building another 1,600 in Nyabisindu. That brings us close to 2,500 units, Dusengiyumva told reporters on Friday, May 30. Our goal is to reach at least 5,000 units annually, and ultimately build up to 10,000 homes per year,” he said. He added that the City of Kigali needs at least 250,000 housing units to meet the demand. Dusengiyumva also revealed plans to develop more affordable rental units for city dwellers who cannot afford to buy property. “We are planning to build houses that can be rented for Rwf50,000-100,000 per month. For example, two young people, one working as a mobile money agent and another as a motorcycle taxi rider, could share a one-bedroom apartment and split the rent,” he said. The mayor added that such projects would also allow landowners to benefit from vertical housing developments, while helping reduce urban sprawl. “We need the private sector to step in more. The shortage of housing is what’s making homes so expensive,” he noted.
