EASTERN PROVINCE NGOMA — Landlords in Kibungo town have asked the district to halt the proposed demolition of their dilapidated houses. Authorities had set July 1 (yesterday) as the date for razing all old houses which were built using mud and unburned bricks and those that are substandard. On Monday, the landlords through the Private Sector Federation (PSF) Legal Advisor at the district, Clément Ruzindana, asked the district to extend the deadline by six months, saying they needed ample time to come up with plans of putting up new houses. The new district policy requires residents to replace the current structures with storeyed houses. Over 20 houses were lined up to be demolished and about 15 to be rehabilitated. The exercise affects about 200 tenants. The landlords complained that the five days which were given to them in a “surprise attack” could not be enough to enable them evict their tenants. “The tenants paid us their money and it becomes hard now to get them out of houses. We have used their money and it’s hard to refund them. It would be better if the district gave us more time.” Jean-Damascène Hategekimana, one of the Landlords said. He added: “We are not against the district’s plan of giving the district a new district face lift but they should know that we also need time to look for funds as the tenants are also completing their paid up months.” The district allowed those who were told to refurbish their buildings to carry out the rehabilitation while operating. During the meeting, a six-man committee composed of three landlords and three tenants was constituted to work together with the district to re-inspect the houses, after some Landlords complained that their houses were wrongly assessed. Ruzindana promised to help them in solving their problems. “Am going to discuss this with the Mayor and see if these can be worked out,” he said. But you should know that development is a must and everyone should work towards it, he added. Natacha Haguma the PSF Public Relation and Communications Manager urged them to register and become members of PSF. “This is why PSF is there. We help you in such problems and it’s high time you become members,” she said. Ends
