Gatenga residents decry delayed compensation

Gatenga residents, whose houses were demolished to pave way for the expansion of the Gatenga –Magerwa road have expressed concerns over their delayed compensation. According to the city suburb dwellers who spoke to The New Times recently, Kicukiro District authorities had agreed to pay them a Rwf 44 million as collective compensation. More than 27 houses fell into the demarcations of the road. The residents, however, said the payment delays had held up plans to rebuild their homes. “They asked us to demolish parts of our houses, which we did, but they have not paid us so that we can modify our houses accordingly,” Nambajimana, one of the residents, bemoaned. “I had a big house, two rooms were demolished, we are now suffering,” he added.“They shouldn’t have obliged us to destroy our houses before payment. We don’t have money to renovate our houses and we are expecting them to pay. We really like development, but imagine our houses being pulled down with no compensation!” posed another resident, who preferred anonymity.Another old woman who claims to own three houses along the road said she was also yet to be compensated. “All my three houses were affected. They neither gave us the money nor did they tell us when they would pay us. It is now in rainy season and yet we live in the open,” the woman stated, also on condition of anonymity.Alex Mugabo, the Executive Secretary of Gatenga Sector, said that the road is being constructed by SETRO with funding from Kigali City Council in collaboration with Kicukiro District.He insisted that the residents would receive their money “very soon.” “Some of the residents have provided their bank accounts and the value of their houses. We are waiting for a few others and we hope they will get their money in the few coming days,” Mugabo said.Mugabo said the sector would give affected people enough time to refurbish their houses “People will get time after being paid. We are flexible; we can’t prevent them from building,” he noted.Sabathon Iradukunda, who works with SETRO, which is also supposed to carry out the payment exercise, stated that the delay was mainly caused by those who had not yet sent their full details.“We preferred paying them after receiving the address of those affected, but we can only pay some of them. Their money is ready but they may have to wait until we get the addresses of all of them, “Iradukunda noted.He said that if the process continues to drag on, they will pay those who provided their full details and deal with the others later.

National

Gatenga residents decry delayed compensation