Kigali City has set, up to the end of February to have eliminated all grass thatched houses, locally known as Nyakatsi, in the entire city.

Jean d’Arc Gakuba, KCC vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs, revealed this yesterday in a telephone interview.

"We agreed to have phased out Nyakatsi in the three districts (Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge) in Kigali City within the next two months,” Gakuba said.

Currently, she said there are about 1,380 grass thatched houses in the city, with most of them in Gasabo District.

In Nyarugenge, Gakuba said there are only 69 grass thatched houses, all in Mageragere and Kanyinya sectors.

Gakuba also said that in Kicukiro District, "all the 23 families that have been living in grass thatched houses have so far been rented somewhere else as the district is currently constructing houses for them.”

"But this ultimatum affects only the vulnerable group that we are going to help through Umuganda (communal work) with police and army to get them shelter. But all those who are currently living in grass thatched houses but are capable of supporting themselves have only two weeks to replace the grass with iron sheets,” Gakuba noted.

Fighting Nyakatsi in the country is a project that was started by the Rwanda Diaspora dubbed: "Bye Bye Nyakatsi” which started in Bugesera District where the Diaspora intends to build 504 modern houses for the disadvantaged and poor families in the areas.

Ends