Senators have urged local governments to do more to ensure housing and other infrastructure projects under construction meet the national urbanisation plan.

Senators Prof. Laurent Nkusi and Jeanne d’Arc Mukakalisa made the remarks after an assessment tour of infrastructure projects in Huye and Gisagara districts, last week.

The ongoing countrywide tour by several senators is aimed at ensuring that infrastructure projects in districts are in line with planned village settlements and urban plans, as part of the national land management policy.

Senator Nkusi said three urban trading centres have been chosen to be developed in Gisagara, including Save, Gisagara and Kibirizi.

"We have recommended that those centres get revamped because, once developed, people get close to shopping places, where they can sell their agricultural produce and promote economic development,” he said.

The centres are to be developed along the lines of six secondary cities in the country – Huye, Muhanga, Rusizi, Musanze, Rubavu and Nyagatare.

Nkusi pointed out that the housing in Gisagara is largely rural.

It involves settling Rwandans who were relocated from high risk zones, the historically marginalised groups, Rwandans who were evicted from Tanzania, and the Mugombwa refugee camp which shelters over 70,000 Congolese refugees.

"What we observed is that though these people are living in villages, they don’t meet all the requirements for a planned village. Some areas lack water, others lack electricity and where there is electricity, people are yet to be connected to it. In other cases a family with many children is crammed in a small house due to low family planning uptake; all these issues need to be addressed,” Nkusi said.

He said in some areas, basic facilities such as schools are too far away from homes.

Mayors respond

Gisagara mayor Léandre Karekezi acknowledged that the district village settlement is largely not planned but efforts were underway to ensure planned settlement.

"At least 50 per cent of villages in Gisagara are according to plan. This means many people are not accessing facilities such as roads, water and electricity. We are doing our best to ensure that we get more planned settlements,” he said.

Karekezi said the district is mobilising residents to develop trading centres by building modern commercial buildings through cooperatives.

The senators said Huye looks committed to revamping the city though more still needed to be done.

Old buildings in Cyarabu Quarter were closed because they were no longer fashionable. The owners were advised to build modern structures.

However, it was noted that most of the buildings at the University of Rwanda Huye campus have asbestos roofing, which need to be replaced.

Huye mayor Eugene Kayiranga Muzuka said storey buildings are being constructed to give the city a facelift.

"The Cyarabu property owners are committed to build modern buildings and we are working with the private sector for the redevelopment of Huye city,” he said.

About 86 per cent of Huye residents live in villages, with about 63 per cent of them in planned village settlements, according to the mayor.

The senators asked that access to water, electricity and other infrastructure facilities be increased.

The findings and recommendations will be presented to the Senate.