KCC slashes construction fees

Kigali City authorities have announced a reduction in fees levied on construction permits in a bid to facilitate doing business and growth of the construction industry.

Thursday, May 03, 2012
Workers at a construction site. The New Times / File.

Kigali City authorities have announced a reduction in fees levied on construction permits in a bid to facilitate doing business and growth of the construction industry.According to the Director of Media and Communication at the City Hall, Bruno Rangira, the permits have been reduced from Rwf200 to Rwf140 per square metre.The deed plans were also reduced by 30 percent, from Rwf 60,000 to Rwf 42,000.A deed plan is a sketch showing the exact location, shape and measurement of a plot or parcel of land where construction of a structure is to be set.The changes were approved by city councillors during their meeting.The development comes days after city officials introduced a Geographic Information System (GIS) database for the entire city with information on proposed land use and development control guidelines that would easily be available to the public on an interactive web platform in the future.The GIS platform would be integrated with the construction permit Management Information System (MIS) platform that is currently being developed in collaboration with the World Bank’s lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).The development will also see the registration of construction permits applied online as a way of enticing investors within the real estate sector.The reduction in these prices follows a recent move by Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) to slash the prices of the prime land in lower Kiyovu, Nyarugenge District, Kigali City, by 43 per cent last year.The reductions saw a square metre that initially cost Rwf 104,000 reduced to Rwf 59,000 to attract more developers on the property.