The headline
The City of Kigali will approve new residential sites in phases, in line with the Kigali Master Plan 2050, and only after checking how far earlier sites have been developed. Of about 103,000 plots covered by approved physical plans, only 37% have been built on, leaving roughly 64,890 undeveloped.
"Physical plans will still be approved. However, the council will first assess whether plots in previously approved sites have been developed," said city spokesperson Emma Claudine Ntirenganya.
The details
- Before approving a new site, the city will look at whether infrastructure is available and whether the timing matches the master plan.
- The city missed its 2024 deadline for Phase I: only 49% of the 8,300 hectares planned for residential use received approved physical plans.
- The national land use master plan runs in two phases, 2020 to 2035 and 2035 to 2050, and districts follow different timelines depending on their budgets.
What it means for landowners
A construction permit in a residential area needs an approved physical plan first. Owners in areas scheduled for later phases may wait a long time. The city is steering people who want to build towards plots in sites that are already approved and still largely empty.
Before buying a plot to build on, check what its zone allows in the zoning guides, and compare asking prices in the district on its area page.