Editor, RE: “Kigali’s housing dilemma: Real estate developers are the problem” (The New Times, November 2). I hope the City of Kigali’s officials are reading this letter and the related article so that they can borrow a leaf from Ethiopia. It’s unfortunate that year in year out areas in and around Kigali are said to be gazetted for construction of affordable housing only to see development of houses targeting high end buyers and tenants. Edgar ************** No other way to solve the housing shortage in Kigali if the City of Kigali (CoK) doesn’t get involved. The modern complex that is currently the City Hall was well constructed; the same method should be applied for the construction of houses for low-income earners making this a win-win situation for both CoK and local residents. The quicker the blocks are put up by saving more spaces the better; waiting another few years the housing crisis may get worse. Dieudonné ************** Did you know that Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) is the financier for these projects? RSSB is to blame for hedging pensioners’ money to cater for the 1%. It seems there’s already a housing bubble “à la rwandaise” as there’s an oversupply of these properties. Abiwacu ************** Yes, I am aware RSSB is financing Vision Estate. My point is the other projects are not financed by RSSB and yet are still ridiculously overpriced. As one reader pointed out, and as I mentioned earlier, these “developers” are only in it for quick money. Nobody is interested in providing sustainable and affordable housing for regular people. There’s definitely going to be a bursting housing bubble. You can already see the signs with the string of failing hotels. That is the mess we have put ourselves in, in this country. Dayo Ntwari
