Mandatory fire insurance is both essential and timely

KIGALI City Council’s directive that all developers of public buildings must insure their buildings against the risk of fire is great news, though long overdue. Commendable too is the directive instructing developers to have fire-fighting infrastructure like fire alarms and extinguishers in their buildings.This directive comes shortly after fires gutted the popular downtown pub and the neighboring business in the center of the city, destroying property worth millions.This move of course will be great news for insurance companies, but the property owners and the public will be massively protected once the directive is implemented.This directive, however, should not be limited geographically to cover Kigali city. It should be enforced on a national scale.Furthermore, owners of older buildings should also be required to install fire protection infrastructure. The directive should not be limited to new developers.Concerned authorities should carry out an inspection of all public buildings, school dormitories and student hostels inclusive, to ensure that the safety standards are met. Those that fall short should receive the directive as well.Once the infrastructure is installed, regular fire drills should be scheduled conducted to make sure that the equipment functions well.Fires break outs may not be that common in Rwanda, however, it’s better to be safer than sorry.

Opinions

Mandatory fire insurance is both essential and timely