GATSIBO – Sixty percent of the residents in Gatsibo district live in village settlements commonly known as ‘Imidugudu’.

Imidugudu is a government programme launched to re-settle the thousands of returnees who had fled during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The programme, since 1997, has been modified and extended to target the rural population so that services can easily be extended to them.

According to Daniel Rwema, the district official in charge of housing and urbanization, a lot has been achieved as a result of the programme.

"This programme has made development plans easier. Most of the residents have access to electricity, water and good roads among other benefits,” he said.

Rwema, however, added that the district could have extended the programme further but due to the district terrain, some plots are still a challenge.

"Some sectors are hilly and cannot accommodate settlements. That is why we are at sixty percent,” he said.

 "In Imidugudu we enjoy full security that when we were scattered. We have water and schools for our Children are very near,” Valerie Muhawenimana, one of the residents in Kiburara cell, Rwimbogo sector, said.

Rwema added that in collaboration with Ministry of local government, the district is designing master plan that will demarcate business centers as well as towns.

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