NORTHERN PROVINCE

NYABIHU — The recently appointed acting Mayor of Nyabihu district, J. Damascene Ndagijimana, has said he is ready to face the challenges in the district. He was meeting residents this week, to find out their burning issues.

The residents presented a number of problems including their being stopped from cultivating on the hilly areas. They expressed fears they could face food shortages because they have not been allocated other cultivatable land.

The residents in Giswati Sector have previously been hit by floods and land slides which displaced over 200 families forcing authorities to ban farming activities on such hilly areas.

However, the Mayor urged calm and cooperation. He observed that some land in Giswati is suitable for growing cash crops especially coffee, but the area was not fit for the growing of Irish potatoes which is the main food there.

He told the residents that specific settlement sites were being identified to resettle all residents without permanent homes and an assessment exercise was being conducted to establish the poor and other vulnerable groups in order to find possible help for them.

Other residents complained over the water channels which were diverted and now direct running water into residential areas due the rehabilitation of Ruhengeri-Gisenyi road. They accused the constructors of not bothering to tame the running water.

Ndagijimana, asked the area Sector and cell Executive Secretaries to always pay attention to the problems facing the residents. He urged them to settle the land wrangles highly reported in the district.

Land wrangles are said to have cropped up after the return of Rwandans who were living in exile, before 1994.

Ndagijimana, was appointed as the acting Mayor, with Frank Kobucyeye as his vice, after the three top district leaders resigned. The district advisory council was also interdicted by the Cabinet.
 
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