KIGALI NOTES: Greed landlords, poor tenants

As ever, in the 2008-9 financial year plan, the government has released well designed and eloquent graphs to be presented to the private, public and civil society sector financiers (read donors) seeking for the establishment of a housing scheme for low income earners in the country. The plan targets increased cheap financing to the housing bank, encouraging the local production of construction materials, providing long-term mortgage financing and so many other colourful words to have more houses in the city for low income earners. The new initiative by government comes years after the housing bank started a scheme catering for the Diaspora market. This market is largely responsible for turning Nyarutarama from a green to a concrete jungle it is slowly becoming now. People who are employed to construct spend their day in this area as moto drivers, journalists, guards and casual labourers are left to the mercy of Kigali’s crafty landlords, whose skill for price discrimination is unrivaled. After a long working day at one of the various printing shops in the city centre commonly known as “Imperimerie,” Sulambaya a city landlord and a Kigali Notes correspondent brings you a beer chat with three of his friends concerning the housing sector or lack of it in our great city. Abilia: I think the best PowerPoint presenters are found in this great country. I was very impressed by their recent work in Serena as they presented the housing scheme reforms to donors attending the development indicators meeting last week. The donors have eloquent graphs showing the success of the funds they have poured in this and that sector, while local government officials have even more brilliant presentations showing projects that need more funding and others that are still progressing but whose speed slowed because one donor has not fulfilled his pledge. Msafiri: You are very uninformed Abilia don’t you know that the people who do their shopping at UTC are the same people that employ us? If you and your fellow protesters disturb them who will pay us? Let me tell you, your problem is finding rent. Well, it is also my big problem but right now I am more concerned about how I will make it to watch Shaggy. The entrance fee is quite high, it equals my monthly rent. Yet I have to see Shaggy and don’t make noise about your rent. Sulambaya: The reason Mwafaka is mad at landlords is because when he got his one room house, the landlord insisted that he be a “Cilibateri”, then he brought his charcoal selling girlfriend two days later, then his big cousin who also invited his wife. Now their house resembles an IDP camp. I wish I was his land lord, I’d not hike his rent, I’d also charge him rent per head in the house. With the increased rent returns I’d be able to increase my contribution to one of the ‘Koperativus’ my family belongs to. Ends