Just less than a week after residents of Gacuriro, Kinyinya sector in Gasabo district stormed the district headquarters demanding to be expropriated, the district has said that it’s up to each individual to sell their properties if they cannot afford to go along with the City plan.

The acting Mayor, Willy Ndizeye, said yesterday in a telephone interview with The New Times that the decision was reached between the district, Kigali City and the Social Security Fund of Rwanda (SSFR), the potential expropriators.

"If they cannot afford to put up the required houses in the area, then they are free to sell their land, but the district or the city is not willing to expropriate them. They cannot force us to do what is not in our plans,” Ndizeye said.

"Everyone in that area has full responsibility on their properties. They can sell it to any developer if they wish. It’s therefore not our responsibility neither is it KCC’s or government to expropriate them at this time”.

Close to 30 residents who claimed to represent their colleagues stormed the district headquarters Wednesday last week and submitted a letter requesting to be expropriated because they cannot afford building structures required in the area.

Their request came after SSFR evaluated their properties in December last year. Over 100 families live in this controversial area.

However, it is said that there are divisions among the residents, with one group agitating to be expropriated while another is against.

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