The Numbers
Asbestos roofing has been removed from 94% of government buildings and 89.2% of privately owned buildings, Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) Director General Alphonse Rukaburandekwe told The New Times. He expects the national programme to finish before the 2026/27 fiscal year ends in June 2027.
What remains is a small share of the roughly 1.69 million square metres of asbestos roofing that once covered buildings across the country.
A Deadline That Kept Moving
The Cabinet first gave owners six months to remove asbestos in October 2009. Funding gaps and a shortage of trained technicians pushed the deadline to 2016 and then to 2020. RHA points to budgets and to the time it takes to persuade owners to replace roofs they have lived under for years.
Removed sheets are buried at designated sites supervised by the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. There are 13, in Huye, Gisagara, Nyanza, Kamonyi, Rusizi, Ngororero, Karongi, Rubavu, Musanze, Gicumbi, Rulindo, Rwamagana and Nyagatare.
What It Costs an Owner
Housing experts quoted in the report put the cost of replacing asbestos on a typical 300 square metre family house at about RWF 2.6 million: around RWF 500,000 to remove the sheets, RWF 1.5 million for new iron sheets and RWF 600,000 for labour and finishing.
What It Means for Buyers
An older house with an asbestos roof carries a cost its asking price may not show. Ask the seller what the roof is made of before you negotiate, and budget for replacement if the answer is asbestos. Compare the asking price with the neighbourhood on the area price pages, or check the plot on the free value check first.