Over 5000 households in Kigali located in wetlands and on hilltops will be relocated in the next two years, information from Kigali City Council indicates.The move aims at protecting residents living in these areas because during heavy rains, landslides occur, sweeping away houses and destroying property or crops, since there are no barriers to control running water.So far, the exercise by KCC officials has established that about 2,700 households in Nyarugenge, 2,886 in Gasabo and 250 residents in Kicukiro Districts will have to be relocated.Speaking to The Sunday Times, this week, the Kigali City Mayor, Fidele Ndayisaba, said districts were currently identifying households located in areas designated as wetlands.“We strongly recommend that home owners take this directive seriously and vacate those areas,” Ndayisaba said. He asked people living in wetlands and flood-prone areas to move to save lives.The most affected suburbs include Gisozi, Gatsata, Kimisagara, Gikondo industrial area and Muhima Sectors.Currently, 98 industries are set to be relocated to a new industrial area, the Rwanda Special Economic Zone (RSEZ), in Gasabo District.When contacted, Esther Mutamba, the Director General of Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), told this newspaper, that the government was doing everything possible to indentify better residential areas as an alternative.Kicukiro district has already offered villages in Masaka Sector for its residents who are likely to be affected.
