Owners to sign agreements to acquire donated houses

SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE—Fidele Ndayisaba, the Governor of Southern Province, has said people who acquired houses under the ‘building for the vulnerable scheme’ should sign agreements with Cell authorities. Speaking at a review meeting Ndayisaba explained that the move is aimed at deterring owners from selling the acquired houses. He said the proposal is a directive from the Ministry of Local Government and that it is aimed at protecting the interests of the different partners who played role in the scheme. The construction was supported mainly by the ministry’s Fund for Genocide Survivors (FARG) and other development partners in districts. “The principle is that such houses were provided to solve a housing problem. If someone has to move, or dies, local authorities will address such issues accordingly,” he said. The problem of lack of housing for vulnerable Genocide survivors featured prominently in last year’s national dialogue meeting. It was agreed that the problem be solved by this year. During Thursday’s meeting, district leaders made presentations on the progress made in finding decent shelter for the different vulnerable people from the village level. In Kamonyi district, authorities in partnership with local communities and other development partners are constructing two houses in every village (Mudugudu). With 317 villages in the district, 634 housing units are expected to be complete by the end of this year. Video footages of the different houses constructed or still under construction and feedback from the beneficiaries where presented. Mayors from across the province cited late delivery of construction materials like cement, iron sheets and nails as the main hindrance to speedy completion. Leandre Karekezi, the Mayor of Gisagara district, said selection of the beneficiaries is done by members of the local communities. “Residents of a village select the needy amongst them and help them get houses. They provide the required human labor like gathering stones for laying foundations during community work (Umuganda),” said the Mayor. All districts in the country are expected to make presentations on work progress on August 22 during a meeting to be held in Kigali. In a recent survey, the Province has a total of 28,000 vulnerable people in need of housing. Ends