President Paul Kagame is on Friday February 11 expected to inaugurate the construction of a major housing estate in Kigali, which upon completion will have over 2200 affordable housing units.

The estate, which will be eco-friendly both in terms of materials used and the environmental set up, will be built in Karama, Kigali Sector in Nyarugenge District.

When The New Times visited the construction site on Thursday, seven model housing units were already complete as a sample to be presented to the guests during the launch.

With five phases, upon completion, the project will avail 2,270 affordable housing units in total.

The estate which is called Bwiza Riverside Homes, is a public-private partnership between a private investor, The ADHI Corporate Group and the Government of Rwanda.

Aime Habimana, an engineer at Engineering Consultancy & Construction (ECCON) which is the subcontractor that is conducting the civil works said that about 200 workers were already employed in the initial works.

The investor has started with constructing 245 units in the first phase set to be completed by the end of 2022.

With five phases, upon completion, the project will avail 2,270 affordable housing units in total.

Habimana said that the price per unit ranges between Rwf16 million and Rwf35 million depending on the size and features.

The investor plans to embark on other estates of the same nature across Kigali and later across the country.

The homes will be in three categories; two categories are twin houses – one with two rooms and another one with three rooms – while the third category is a three-bedroom standalone unit complete with car parking space.

Each of the units has also a sitting room.

Green technology

With patented construction technology that uses modular parts, pre-made in a factory, for "plug-and-play" construction, the developers say the project aims to be environmentally friendly in both its construction methods and community layouts.

The homes will be green-certified constructed with materials that reduce carbon emissions from the buildings.

This, they say, is reached through minimized construction waste, energy efficiency, and recyclable construction materials, reduced transport by using the pre-engineered house structure, solar powered street lighting, waste water treatment and recycling systems, permeable pavements and storm water management systems, among others.

Future plans

The investor plans to embark on other estates of the same nature across Kigali and later across the country.

By 2026, the investor targets over 8,000 units and by 2033 it seeks to have constructed 40,000 homes of which 70 percent will be affordable homes in Rwanda.

Felix Nshimyumuremyi, the Director General of Rwanda Housing Authority told The New Times the new development is timely as the affordable houses supply is currently not satisfying the demand.

"At least someone who earns between Rwf200,000 and Rwf1.2 million per month can afford such house at between Rwf16 million and Rwf35 million because we will work with banks so they can get them on subsidised loans of up to 11 percent interest rate which can be paid up to 20 years and above,” he said.

He said that the prices are not final, adding that they are still negotiating the price per unit meaning that these may go down.

"This is a pilot project that is using unique technology and they will also help train people on such technology,” he said.

He added that the move could help Kigali city to reach 15,000 affordable housing units by 2024 if the ongoing projects are expeditiously executed.

Some of the completed units in Bwiza Riverside Homes in Karama, Nyarugenge

There are 12 major projects going on which will add about 7,400 units once completed and six other projects that will supply 7,600 units in the next three years.

The demand for affordable houses in Kigali is rising faster than its supply with various studies showing that the city needs at least 20,700 housing units every year or 310,000 units by 2032.

Rwanda Housing Authority has earmarked 6,100 hectares where the private sector will construct affordable houses as part of the 30-year plan to fix Kigali’s shortage of affordable homes

Kigali’s population is projected to more than double from the current 1.6 million to 3.8 million by 2050.