Gov’t to acquire four RSSB buildings

The government is in the process of purchasing four buildings owned by Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) in Kigali, a move aimed at solving the problem of lack of office space for government institutions. Esther Mutamba, the Director General of Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), confirmed this yesterday during an interview with The New Times. “We have to follow standard procedures to acquire these facilities. We are currently in the evaluation process to make the final bid,” Mutamba said. Among the buildings to be bought is the former Social Security Fund of Rwanda (SSFR) headquarters in Kacyiru, which currently houses the offices of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) and the Twin Towers, under construction next to RSSB headquarters in Kiyovu. Others are the insurance plaza in Nyarugenge, which is situated at the Sopetrad junction and still under construction and the building housing the Ministry of Health in Kicukiro District. “We will ascertain the total cost and the institutions to occupy these buildings later. We have a number of government institutions which still operate in rental houses, which will occupy these houses,” Mutamba added. The government is currently spending billions annually on rent for some of its institutions, including the ministries of Health, Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Natural Resources and Youth. Other government institutions operating in rented facilities include Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS), National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), Rwanda Agricultural Board (RAB) and Rwanda Housing Authority itself. The ten-storey Sopetrad building scheduled to be completed by the end of this month, valued at Rwf 9.4 billion and the eight storied structure in Kicukiro, are both part of the RSSB’s ongoing project to establish a building in each of the 30 districts in the country. Moses Kazoora, the Director of Public Relations at RSSB, confirmed that three other buildings in Nyanza, Karongi and Rwamagana were completed while the Musanze branch is also scheduled to be completed by the end of this month. “We started by constructing the buildings in major cities. They are being rented out now, but they can also be sold if we get potential buyers,” he explained, adding that the Remera building, just opposite Amahoro Stadium, was acquired by CSS Zigama bank. Kazoora also noted that the construction of the 18-floor Grand Pension Insurance Plaza, valued at Rwf 17.3billion, is at its final phase. “We are remaining with external landscaping, water drainage, and painting works. The whole building is now booked, though we are yet to issue contracts. We received many requests from institutions that want space but we are still scrutinising to see the most viable clients,” he stated. bosco.asiimwe@newtimes.co.rw