At least Rwf11.5 billion is going to be invested in upgrading four unplanned settlements in Kigali City. The money is part of the Rwf137.5 billion budget for Kigali City in the fiscal year 2022/23 that was presented and approved on June 30, 2022 by the city council. The City Manager, Julian Rugaza said the four unplanned settlements to be upgraded include Nyabisindu, Gitega, Nyagatovu and Gatenga. Nyabisindu and Nyagatovu are slums located in Gasabo district, while Gitega and Gatenga are located in Nyarugenge and Kicukiro districts respectively. Most of these unplanned settlements do not have basic infrastructure such as roads, pedestrian ways, drainages, street lights, electricity, water and others that are needed to facilitate people’s daily businesses. The approach seeks to upgrade such slums while ‘minimising recurrent eviction of dwellers and thus, enabling the city to deal with the high housing demand in the city as residents are facilitated to refurbish their houses. The project will upgrade the settlements by setting up basic infrastructure such as water, roads, disaster control infrastructure, electricity and others to pave the way for residents to upgrade their houses and do businesses. The approach paves way for residents to upgrade their houses while others build storied-buildings as the land gets increased value. Rwf2 billion rehousing project The City of Kigali is considering scaling up of a new model to upgrade informal settlements in the capital, in areas with the highest number of unplanned settlements. According to Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority (RLMUA), over 61 per cent of the population in the country currently lives in informal settlements. The City of Kigali said it is analysing, “the area of Gatsata and one neighbourhood of Muhima” where the upgrading model could be replicated. Gatsata sector is located in Gasabo district, while Muhima is located in Nyarugenge district. Rugaza said that there is also another phase of a rehousing project around Mpazi drainage to cost Rwf2 billion. The new model, which has already been implemented along Mpazi drainage in Nyarugenge district, involves contribution of land from the residents, on which the housing blocks are to be built for them, meaning that residents are not relocated but rehoused. Rwf727.4 million to build small markets for street vendors Rugaza added that in order to improve welfare of city dwellers, Rwf727.4 million will help provide free markets for 3,941 street vendors. The City of Kigali is set to work with private investors to construct nine new mini-markets for street vendors and finance some of them to raise capital to make their businesses viable. These include 1,800 street vendors from Gasabo district, 952 from Kicukiro district and 1,080 from Nyarugenge district to be deployed to the expected markets.
