Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) has said a new legal framework is being developed to regulate homeowners' associations in affordable housing estates, aiming to address long-term maintenance gaps in shared infrastructure such as sewage and treatment systems that have repeatedly raised audit concerns. The plan was revealed on Thursday, June 25, when RHA officials appeared before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to respond to findings raised in the Auditor General's Report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, with the Bumbogo affordable housing project central to the discussion. ALSO READ: Govt considering new contractor for Kigali’s sewage system RHA Director General Alphonse Rukaburandekwe said the planned law will formalise how residents of housing estates manage shared infrastructure, particularly cleanliness and routine maintenance. The law being drafted will indicate how people who live in a certain area take care of the infrastructure, including cleanliness and other maintenance. ALSO READ: City of Kigali should urgently fix the sewerage system issue He said residents who receive housing units are already guided on basic upkeep, but a structured legal framework is needed to sustain such systems. The homeowners who were trained are followed up and guided on how to take care of the infrastructure. When housing is handed over, we are already in that transition period. Once the law is enacted, we will also help and facilitate residents in maintenance. ALSO READ: Construction of Kigali sewage system begins in June The government collaborated with the World Bank and private investor Next Gen. The government's role is to establish the infrastructure, and we had completed our part. The project was received at the end of December last year, and while the government finished its part, the investor was required to provide 200 affordable houses, which they could not do due to financial constraints that delayed the project, as well as inflation which affected them. He added that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure, the proposed framework is being developed to regulate homeowners' associations and strengthen management of shared facilities in housing estates.
