Demolition in Kigali as the government has razed the centrally located squatter community of Poor Kiyovu (so called to distinguish it for neighboring Rich Kiyovu.) Thus politicians work hand-in-hand with developers, and the people suffer. I suppose the good news is that the administration did at least promise to reimburse people for their losses. But, as this blog post points out, many have not received anything.
Here's the nub of the issue: "It seems that the government wishes to engineer a city in which Kigali residents and delicate-stomached foreigners will no longer have to suffer vulgar displays of poverty in the city centre. Its a loss for the city. These people were a major part of the life of the city centre. A much better strategy would have been for the city to have improved the property rights laws and infrastructure in poor Kiyovu to promote its development. Shame on the City of Kigali."
(thanks, Maurice, for sending this to me.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
this is not surprising as the City outlawed flip flops in the centre of town, and for a while made riding on Moto's illegal (the uproar led the city to reinstate them). Kigali is seriously anti-poor, as is most of Rwanda. the elite in Kigali get richer and the poor just suck it up. these are similar conditions that led to the 1994 genocide....
a good place to look for more evidence of Kigali's disdain for most of its citizenry is in the tax code and land redistribution act...
The reality you sketch is sad, Susan. Where can I find more info on relevant portions of the tax code and land redistribution act?
Post a Comment