Bahoneza – Kinyarwanda, Rwanda Welfare, Social Welfare, Rwanda People, Nutrition and Diet, Rwanda Habitat, Living in Kigali

Umujyi watangiye gusa neza kubera gutunganya umuhanda

Mugihe abatuye umujyi wa Byumba bavuga ko umujyi wabo wasigaye inyuma mu iterambere ubu umujyi uri kugenda uhindura isura kuko ubuyobozi bw’akarere bwihaye intego yo kuwuvugurura usasamo amabuye ntukomeze kubamo ibitaka bitwarwa n’imvura.

Iki gikorwa cyatangiye gushyirwa mu bikorwa aho umuyobozi w’akarere ka Gicumbi Mvuyekure Alexandre abaye umuyobozi w’ako karere kuko igihe yayoboraga by’agateganyo igikorwa cya mbere yatangaje azakora naramuka atowe cyari icyo kuvugurura umujyi.

Nk’uko bamwe mubaturage babitangaje kuri uyu wa 18/4/2013 batangaje ko babona umujyi wa Byumba uri kugenda uhindura isura baka bafite ikizere cy’uko nibikomeza bazagera ku iterambere rirambye.

Munyaneza Cyprien we asanga nibafatanya n’ubuyobozi bw’akarere bazagera kuri byinshi kuko ukubuko kumwe kutagira icyo kugeraho ariko nibahuza imbaraga bazagera kuri byinshi.

Asanga n’ubwo akarere kihaye intego yo gusasa amabuye mu muhanda bizageza ubwo babasha kwishyirirambo na kaburimbo.

Avuga ko ibyo bizagerwaho mugihe habaye gufatanya n’inzego z’ubuyobozi zose mu kurwanya ubukene binyuze mu ngamba zitandukanye z’icyerekezo 2020 haba mu rwego rw’ubukungu, imibereho myiza, umutekano, n’ibindi.

Mbere umuhanda wari ibitaka

Iyo mirimo iri gukorwa na sosiyete yitwa EGETRACO izarangira mu kwezi kwa gatanu; nk’uko bisobanurwa na Nzabandora Musa, umukozi ushinzwe ibikorwaremezo mu karere ka Gicumbi bikazatwara akayabo ka miliyoni zirenga 199.

The Advisory council of Gakenke District has set a town master plan following a meeting on the 7^th.Aug.2012 where it decided to bring basic infrastructure services like water and electricity to the town to enable quick building and development of the area.

Gakenke town is made of 11 villages 7 of which are in Gakenke sector and 4 from Nemba sector according to the new master plan of the town.

Since Gakenke town is chaotic due to bad buildings that make it, every person’s contribution is needed to develop it and make it better as Zephyrin Ntakirutimana the vice mayor for social affairs of Gakenke district said.

The district planned Rwf38million to be used during expropriation period to clear land in this town and these plots will be sold at agreed price and the money be taken back to the district account. In this town there are a few nice residential houses and at least one storied commercial house and others are slums and old houses.

Many people are not sure how this town will be developed as people who get rich decide to build in already developed cities like Kigali city or Musanze town.

Some of the residents in Kibungo town have been given one week to demolish houses they built illegally before Ngoma District Authorities take action.

This is meant for residents of Kibungo sector and some part of Remera sector who were warned by the district administration over using non burnt bricks in building but preceded with their idea.

This was resolved during the meeting of Eastern Province administration and Ngoma district authorities that was held on 1^st August 2012.

However, residents in question ask district authorities to give them shelter where they can be staying after their houses are destroyed as they have nowhere else to go.

One resident narrates: “We admit the mistake but we have nowhere else to go. Should we demolish these houses and sleep outside? They should give us a place to live in.”

Alexis Rugaju, in charge of district development in Eastern Province revealed to the media that the resolution is aimed at eradicating illegal buildings that do not match vision 2020 expectations.

Rugaju asserts: “Building against the law is prohibited and sensitization continues.”

Amani Bukwiye, Jean Claude Ishimwe and Kwizera

It is evident that since the beginning of the second term holidays, the number of children begging in Huye town has increased.

While most beggars in Huye district are mature people with disabilities and those who made it a habit to wait near the markets place, on street, near junctions and transport agency offices, the number of children is increasing.

Amani Bukwiye, Jean Claude Ishimwe and Kwizera are common beggars in this town and only one of them goes to school.

Kwizera affirms: “Jean Claude Ishimwe and I come from Tumba sector. We do not go to school because our parents have no money for school fees. Because of hunger, we are forced to come on street and beg from good Samaritans.”

Although these children can take home up to Rwf1000 a day, some of them go begging just because they develop bad character and refuse to obey their parents and drop out of school.

Other parents who are poor and have many children send their children to beg for money during the holidays. Others come from broken marriages where parents have misunderstandings and children get affected in turn.

Christine Niwemugeni, Mayor of Huye district in charge of social affairs asserts they are aware of the problem and trying to come up with the solution.

“I am aware of the problem and see them myself. Concerned authorities should set a policy that punishes irresponsible parents. Although we are trying to solve the problem, it is shameful to see young children growing up as beggars,” adds Niwemugeni.

Apart from begging for money to buy food, street children learn bad behavior like drug abuse and robbery.

Muhanga town

Rwanda Housing Authority has asked districts and towns to classify village settlements so that they are used during the 4^th general population and housing census to start on July 16^th 2012.

Alexis Byiringiro, employee in Rwanda housing authority presented to Muhanga district Advisory committee the master plan of the this town, villages that should be in the town and settlements that should not be included in the town.

However, the master plan is not the final because the advisory committee of Muhanga has to study it and confirm if the village settlements are classified the way they should be.

This comes to life after Rwanda Housing Authority realized that some villages in districts are not yet defined to know if they belong to town part or in the village.

Byiringiro asserts that defining the villages is being done in connection with helping data collectors find the whole information during the census to base on while planning development for residents, towns and villages.

While studying the master plan of Muhanga town, the district advisory committee faced the problem of some villages that belong to the urban part when they qualify to be on the pre-urban part.

Muhanga district mayor, Yvonne Mutakwasuku confesses that some settlements are counted in town when they have no roads, electricity and water. She suggests that those villages should be put where the town will be expanded to.

Byiringiro explains that being in the urban part of the district does not mean residents are richer than those in pre-urban part of the area.

 Rwamagana residents and those who intend to reside in the area have been reminded to be careful of the new urban area demarcation proposal for the District borders which has changed many places in the District.

This proposal expects that Rwamagana town will be where the yellow colour passes, places like Byimana, Nyakabungo, Kavura, Kanywiriri, Plage, Ramba, Rusave, Kirehe, Kigega, Umuganura, Kayenzi, Busanza, Rurembo, Bigabiro, Kabeza, Biraro, Kabuye, Kamata, Cyahafi, Karutimbo and Miyange will make up this town.

In these areas only houses that meet the requirements of the town master plan will be accepted there and those who will not follow these regulations their buildings will be demolished.

Places that are circled by red colour will be neighbouring Rwamagan town and those places are Cyiri, Umunini, Rwagahaya, Abakina, Akanogo, Shaburondo, Akabeza, Rubirizi, Kibare, Kingondo, Nyarugarama, Mugusha, Agatare, Karambo, Kidogo, Cyeru, Umubuga, Akagarama, Mpingu, Gahondo, Akatorero, Karuhayu, Gahonogo, Kamanga, Bacyoro, Kabuga, Bugugu, Gasharu and Cyimpima.

In this proposal of Rwamagana district, villages of Akubugingo, Rugarama, Marembo, Rubona Gituza, Mugogo, Kamirindi, Kampigika and Nyamugari that had been taken in Kigali city neighbouring villages in the past are now in Rwamagana district.

The residential plan in Rwamagana town and its neighboring places will be decided by the advisory council of Rwamagana district before the end of September 2012.

While the modern market awaits completion, street hawkers have been given a temporary market in Rwabayanga to quit Butare town streets.

Although they pay no taxes for this market place, hawkers still run to work on streets saying they make no sales in the market.

Apart from a few shoe and clothing sellers, others went back to street a few days after building stalls.

Olive Musabyimana, fruits hawker in Butare town narrates: “We come to the market in the morning but when we fail to make sales by afternoon, we risk losing our stock to local defence officials and go to the streets again.”

Similarly, Clementine Mukamana who sells clothing says: “I spend the day in the market because I have a little baby, but if I don’t go to town and sell something, my family can starve.”

Vice Mayor in charge of social affairs in Huye district Christine, Niwemugeni affirms that if street hawkers settle in one market place, people would know them and start looking for them in that market and buy their goods.

She adds that the reason people do not go to that market is because hawkers are never there full time.

Vice mayor reveals that local defence will always be asked to force street hawkers to operate in places where they say clients don’t find them.

Photo: Loud speakers for different studios placed in one place

Residents in Kibuye town have complained of too much noise in the name of “music” that cannot allow one to pick a telephone call during working hours.

As Kibuye city grows so fast, different business people do increase every day deals especially in CD and DVD burning and hiring public address systems among others.

The problem comes as a result of many adjacent studios that play music at once to attract customers. Every studio owner increases the volume to overshadow the other which results into much noise for everyone in town.

People who come to town to look for certain services find it hard to use telephones due to much noise from different songs playing at the same time and at top volume.

Noise comes from every corner of the town and if you manage to receive a call, the one calling asks you if you are attending a party.

One stationery owner in this town says that even the house owners mind less about this problem since they meet the tenants for business. People have got used to it and life continues.

However, some residents confess that they have got used to the music and problems come when the music stops.

Residents in Gisenyi town of Rubavu district in the Western Province say that housing middle men commonly known as (abakomisyoneri) exorbitantly hike fees for their services which doesn’t correspond with the work they actually do.

The profession which has experienced influx and swelling numbers of practioners was in the past practiced by a few people, but now the big numbers have even brought in conmen at the expense of the people.

According to Assia Mutegarugori a retail trader in Gisenyi market says that the conduct of these middle men has stolen the trust for them of late.

She says that when a middle man takes you to a house for rent and you don’t like it, they say that you have wasted their time. So this has led them to begin demanding for Rwf1, 000 for every visit.

This amount is not appropriate especially if you don’t like their product which should have been the basis of payment.

“They are even characterised by little discipline where they even insult their clients in case of a misunderstanding,” says another resident who was only identified as Joseph.

This issue has even gone up to the extent of house owners refusing to open for the middle men in case they bring in would be tenants.

Abdou Rutayisire a house owner says that though they middle men are sometimes needed, they have become a problem because they go as far as lying about the actual cost of the rent.

One of the middle men who preferred anonymity said that some of his colleagues go as far as demanding commission equal to the apartment’s monthly rate.

The widely known rate in Gisenyi town for the commission is 10 percent of the monthly rate of the tenant.

Residents in the Eastern district of Rwamagana town, say that it is now expensive to buy firewood than to buy food.

According to Claudine Kireri who whom we found buying firewood, it is more expensive to buy a bunch of fire wood that it is to buy a basket of potatoes.

 “A bundle of firewood that can be used in 3 days costs Rwf1, 800. But the same amount of money can buy foodstuffs that I cannot carry to my home without help,” said Kireri.

Megitirida Mukashyaka a firewood vendor says that the increase of firewood prices is due to the pressure the population is exerting on the existing forests leading to scarcity.