The City of Kigali is growing at an unprecedented speed. Housing estates as well as commercial complexes are sprouting up in different neighbourhoods and such structures are a reflection of a thriving metropolis. Different reforms have been introduced to ease the process of getting construction permits, a process that was previously cited as one of the major impediments to doing business by the series of reports by World Bank. Other initiatives that were introduced to incentivize the real estate sector include the passing of a condominium law, which has made it possible to allow different people to co-own units on a single building. Other incentives are outlined in the Manufacture and Build to Recover Programme which among the key sectors targets investors in the construction and real estate development sectors. Despite these incentives, there remain an acute shortage of housing in Kigali, according to an assessment, the City of Kigali needs 310,000 new housing units by the year 2032. This problem provides an opportunity for investors in the real estate sector, but the investors must do the right thing. The recent case of poorly built housing units that crumbled in one of the newly built housing estates in Kigali is a wakeup call for all involved to ensure houses built meet the desired quality. Recently, there was a crackdown by Rwanda Standards Board to ensure construction materials used in the country meet the required standards and this should be sustained. However, it should not stop there, if the incident mentioned above is anything to go by. Relevant authorities need to closely inspect construction sites, especially commercial housing projects to ensure standards are met. This should go hand in hand with the campaign to compel developers to employ engineers who are accredited by the mandated institution – the Institution of Engineers Rwanda – which would make it easy to hold accountable errant practitioners.
