Views on affordable housing

Editor, I wish to respond to Sunny Ntayombya’s article, “Is it possible to own a house before 50?”, published in yesterday’s issue of The New Times.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Editor,I wish to respond to Sunny Ntayombya’s article, "Is it possible to own a house before 50?”, published in yesterday’s issue of The New Times.Firstly, I would like to thank Sunny for a good analysis. I think some companies have already started advertising their packages/services for affordable houses. We must not forget that these advertisements depend on the clientele they are trying to attract, but the fact is that many of these houses are too expensive for many.A good approach is rather thinking of increasing revenues in business and affordable apartments because I think subsidies won’t cover all of us.Kabiligi ClementEditor,Let me begin by congratulating Sunny on a great article, titled, " Is it possible to own a house before 50?” in yesterday’s paper, the idea of cheap or affordable housing is not possible without government subsidy. Look at the prices of cement, timber, and all other construction materials. This can only materialize if such equipment are got from outside Rwanda or when they are duty-free materials.Seth