‘Kwa Dubai’: 2017 report raised red flags about housing quality

A 2017 report by the Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) on Urukumbuzi Real Estate (Kwa Dubai) shows that city authorities knew about the issues affecting the property but pretty much did nothing about it. The Kinyinya-based estate owned by businessman Jean Nsabimana, alias Dubai, boasts more than 250 occupied houses. It has attracted a lot of negative public attention since March, when one of the reportedly poorly constructed houses collapsed. ALSO READ: Kwa Dubai estate: Residents speak out on substandard houses The New Times accessed a copy of an investigation done by RHA on the estate in 2017, highlighting the same issues that are affecting the residents now. The report indicates that the occupied buildings’ structures were not firm as per the concrete compressive strength tests done. For example, the strength of the houses’ columns and slabs were found to be below the minimum standard that is recommended. Engineers also noted that there was poor drainage at the estate. “Storm and rain water is directed straight to the street,” the report read. ALSO READ: Are affordable housing projects viable in Rwanda? Poor plumbing, unsafe electrical installations, poor sewerage systems were also a problem. Some of the septic tanks had collapsed and the owner had started to reconstruct them. “The soil is very weak. The water table was found at 1.5m and that is where the septic tanks are located,” the report said. Poor quality of construction materials In addition to this, there was also poor quality of construction materials. “The bricks are being washed away by the rain....... cracks are appearing in the walls of the houses.......... slab thickness is not uniform or consistent....... the slab is bent. The doors are also bent because the timber was not allowed to dry before use,” the report noted. As part of the investigations, RHA officials talked to residents of the estate who said the houses seemed affordable at first sight, considering the price of land in Kigali. But residents noted that the buildings could not be occupied without undertaking some modifications and repairs on the drainage system, septic tanks, roofing, and other areas. Most modifications cost up to Rwf5 million. “There are some issues of bad smell originating from the homes.... the water from homes is discharged in the drainage system of the road......some houses roofs are leaking and the owners are the ones to do the repairs on their own money,” the report said. After the investigation, RHA ordered the immediate suspension of construction works on new houses that were not yet finished. The developer had some G 1 houses (two floors – ground and first floor) that had not been completed yet. The RHA noted that there was a need for conducting a deep structural analysis on the houses under construction. The developer was requested to employ a professional engineer who will supervise the construction works in case they resume. After the collapse of one of the houses, in March, RHA engineers visited the estate again to probe the quality of the houses in terms of the construction materials used and the procedures of construction, and so on. The New Times understands that the authorities have undertaken a new investigation. The Acting Director General at RHA, Noel Nsanzineza, said that the new assessment “is going on to determine possible corrective measures” on the estate.

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‘Kwa Dubai’: 2017 report raised red flags about housing quality