Senators from Parliament are conducting a nationwide tour to evaluate the condition and administration of the Integrated Development Program (IDP) model villages and other establishments.
The tour began on June 13 in Rwamagana District and other districts across the country, and will continue on June 14 and 19, during which the senators engage with citizens in order to evaluate their socio-economic development.
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Vice President of the Senate in Charge of Parliamentary Affairs, Hon Esperance Nyirasafari, accompanied by Hon Evode Uwizeyimana, Member of Senate, and Radjab Mbonyumuvunyi, Mayor of Rwamagana District, visited the Kitazigurwa model village in Muhazi sector and the Nyagahinga model village in Gishari sector, both located in Rwamagana.
The residents of the Kitazigurwa model village raised a host of concerns during their visit, including the deterioration of long-standing homes.
They stated that while they make efforts to fix what they can, such as kitchens, there are some limitations due to financial constraints.
Maria Mukamutama, a resident of the Kitazigurwa model village, expressed her need for government assistance in order to renovate the home she was given, due to water ingress resulting from rainy weather.
The 68-year-old who lives with her grandchild told The New Times that she had attempted to cement her house, but certain sections remain irreparable due to a lack of resources.
To address this, Mbonyumuvunyi said that there is a regular maintenance programme in place to repair houses with such issues, and that the model village’s houses with problems will be fixed by September this year. He requested that they do what they are able to in the short-term while waiting for help.
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The senators paid a visit to the GS Saint Bernardin Kitazigurwa School in the model village.
Hon Nyirasafari and Hon Uwizeyimana expressed dismay at the state of disrepair they found during their visit to the school. They urged the school’s administration to take immediate action to clear the mess and repaint the buildings, as the paint seemed to have aged.
When engaging with the senators and mayor of the district, the residents of Kitazigurwa also raised concerns about inadequate electricity. Despite having electricity access, the residents noted a need for a reliable source of power to fulfil development activities requiring higher demands of electricity, such as operating rice milling machines and hair salons.
Mbonyumuvunyi reassured the villagers that measures have been put in place to increase the electricity supply in the village and that the implementation was imminent.
President Paul Kagame and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni inaugurated the Kitazigurwa model village in 2010, and it is now home to 217 households.
The model village consists of a total of 211 houses, all constructed in 2010 and each providing a home for one family. Additionally, four (two-in-one) and two (four-in-one) houses were built in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
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The senators then visited Nyagahinga model village. The model village, established in 2019, is home to 34 households of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and were left without a place to live.
Residents of this model village reported engaging in sports activities to reduce their risk of age-related illnesses and combat loneliness. They also voiced their desire for a fence to be built around their village for security purposes, to deter both intruders and theft, to which Mbonyumuvunyi responded, "We are going to find a quick solution.”
Hon Nyirasafari admired their peaceful coexistence and drive to progress, noting that living together has helped to relieve the suffering that the survivors of the Genocide had endured.
She added that the government has expressed the desire to preserve the programme that allows people to reside in shared villages, while encouraging those able to acquire housing without government aid to do so.
The groups of two senators will visit 60 IDP model villages and other settlement centres, with the intent of reaching at least two sites per district, including one IDP model village and one settlement centre.