Focus Media (Kigali)
Armstrong Gatete Kalisa
29 July 2008
The Kigali City Council last week demolished houses in Kiyovu after residents had been evicted. The affected families, however, claim they have not been treated correctly. "The houses were dilapidated because of running water, which is why we built Batsinda housing estate and relocated the residents of Ubumwe cell there."
That was the explanation given last week by the Mayor of Kigali city, Aisa Kirabo Kakira, on the contested eviction of the residents of the said cell, and the subsequent demolition of their houses.
On Sunday July 20, residents of what is commonly referred to as Kiyovu cy'abakene (Kiyovu of the poor) witnessed the demolition of the dilapidated houses and kiosks. The site will be re-built by National Social Security Fund.
According to the Kigali City Council (KCC) authorities, the residents were given notice to relocate in October last year, in accordance with its policy on urban structures in line with the Vision 2020.
"Observing one law does not mean we should ignore others," Ms. Kakira said, referring to respectively the law on land ownership and urban planning regulations. "The security of Kigali city residents is our responsibility," she added. "What if someone is killed or injured by bulldozers leveling the site?"
The mayor also stressed that the 64 evicted families were not left in the cold; not only were they compensated for their old house, but they also had the option to relocate to Bastinda estate in Kinyinya, Gasabo district.
That, however, might not be feasible for everybody, though, given that the houses there-which have electricity, running water, and biogas installations, to mention a few facilities-are valued at about Frw 3 million.
This latest eviction is the second one, with a first group of residents having been forced to leave in March last year. However, the 64 families concerned this time had appealed to the Land Commission in the Ministry of Land. But before it could probe the matter, the demolition had already begun.
The disgruntled residents have also complained to the office of the Ombudsman. A high-placed source there who required anonymity confirmed that they had received a letter from the evicted families, and that at the current state of the investigation it seemed that their claim was justified and they were not treated correctly.
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