GENERAL CONTEXT
R
wanda is one of most densely populated and one of the least urbanized countries in Africa.
It is also among African countries with highest urban population growth. Between 1991 and
2002, the urban population growth in Rwanda has increased three times, shifting from 5.5% to
16.7%.
In Rwanda, urban development goes hand in hand with migration; urban development depends
essentially on the contributions of rural populations. The low urbanization rate and low urban
development place Rwanda in the margin of the demographic transition trend which
characterizes the developing countries nowadays. However, this urbanization dynamics is
neither well understood nor fully controlled. More than 80% of urban population lives in slums
and the majority of households live under the poverty line. According to a long-term planning,
"Rwanda vision 2002", the urban population growth will reach 30% in 2020 or five times in 30
years.
1.
ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION
Size:
226 338 Km2
Population (2007):
9 907 509
Population density:
376.1 hab/ Km2
Growth rate:
2.5%
Income per capita:
1 000 USD
Urban population:
1 726 613
Urban population rate 2005: 19.3 %
Urban Growth rate:
6%
1.1
The urbanization phenomenon in Rwanda
1.1.1 Historical background and urban development in Rwanda
Historically speaking, urban development is a very recent phenomenon which was brought in
Rwanda at the beginning of the 20th century when the colonizers arrived in Rwanda. Indeed, the
absence of towns is partly due to scattered individual settlement in the whole country on the one
hand and a decentralized economic system before the colonial period in Rwanda, peddlers
moved from one hill to another selling their goods (there was no established places for trade) on
the other hand.
The colonial administration did not encourage urban development in Rwanda because it was
considered as a country with very little economic interests. Although the administration centers
were created fifty years later during the colonial period, jobless people were not allowed to
remain there. After independence, the regimes which came to power opposed urban development
under the pretext that priority ought to be given to the development of rural areas. To support this
strategy, the following decisions were taken: (i) the creation of rural centers to keep the rural
populations in one place; (ii) introduction of new administrative policies where citizens had to
get a pass in order to move to town, (iii) citizens were obliged to get a residence permit and a
permanent employment card, (iv) regular raids to catch and send back jobless people in their
respective rural communes.
During the independence in 1962, Kigali population reached 6.000 people only. The other
centers also called urban centers were province headquarters. New province distribution map has
allowed rural areas to join towns. The urbanization rate has increased three times between 1962
and 1972 (from 1 to 3%), it reached 5% in 1978 and approximately 9% just before the 1994
tragedy. With more than 17%, Rwanda remains the least urbanized country in Africa, behind
Burundi. The average urbanization rate in Africa is a little bit above 35%.
20
15
10
% urbanization
5
0
An 1900
An 1962
An 1978
Year Year
1986 Year
1993 2002
Table: The urban population growth in Rwanda between 1978 and 2002
Whole Rwanda
Kigali City
Urban population
Urban population in %
Year 1978 Year 1991 Year 2002 Year 1978
Year 1991
Year 2002
222 727
391 194 1 362 312
4,61
5,47
16,69
115 990
235 664
608 141
2,12
3,29
7,45
Urban population growth
2,500,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
Kigali City
Whole Rwanda
Year 1978
year 1991
Year 2002
1.1.2 Common characteristics of Rwandan cities
The Rwandan cities share the following common characteristics: (i) wide rural areas, (ii)
agriculture is the main economic activity except in Kigali, (iii) a high percentage of immigrants,
(iv) scattered settlements (v) poor urban planning (lack of appropriate town planning tools, poor
people with low income can not afford to buy enough land and access to basic infrastructures,
lack of human, financial and material resources).
Since 2006 administrative reform, the wide rural areas are part of the urban areas either in Kigali
City or other cities.
In all the towns in Rwanda, except Kigali city, agriculture is the main economic activity (more
than 50% of the working population). In Kigali, 15,5% only of the working population work in
primary sector compared to 15,8% for the secondary and 68,7% for the tertiary sector. The
majority of buildings are single storey houses, except in Kigali city where some buildings have
up to 4 floors. There very few areas where houses have been built following the city plan
requirements compared to slums built by local people anyhow; the slums account for 70% to
80% of the grouped settlements.
Gatsata neighborhood
Ecobank building
1.1.3 An unbalanced urban structure
Kigali city has contributed to the increase of the urban population (236.000 hab. in 1991,
608.000 in 2002, that is an average annual growth rate of 9% during this period). 44% of the
urban population in Rwanda lives in the Capital City. This situation confirms the phenomenon of
urban "monocephalic trend" and widens the gap between Kigali and other towns in the country.
Table: Urban population growth in former towns in Rwanda from 1970 to 2002
Former towns
Kigali
Butare
Ruhengeri
Gisenyi
Gitarama
Byumba
Gikongoro
Kibuye
Rwamagana
Nyanza
Ruhango
Kabuga
Nyagatare
Cyangugu
Kibungo
Rwanda
Urbanization rate
Year
1970
57 400
8 400
12 500
6 250
9 359
5 980
7 020
1 670
4 850
4 640
3 540
3 860
125 460
1.0
1978
115 990
22 189
18 942
12 655
8 531
7 102
5 637
3 045
5 912
11 563
7 201
9 272
222 727
4.5
1991
235 664
29 255
29 286
22 156
17 490
11 947
8 506
4 393
6 535
9 187
9 693
13 617
391 194
5.6
2002
603 049
77 217
71 511
67 766
137 334
66 268
59 070
46 640
46 198
60 117
50 930
51 693
8 437
59 070
44 216
1 372 604
16.9
Source : R. R., MINIPLAN, SNR, 1994, R.R, MINECOFIN, SNR, 2005
Although the towns were essentially public administration headquarters, the population growth
increased gradually between 1994 and 2002 (during this period the urban population doubled).
Currently, the population growth reaches between 4 and 6%. This can be explained by the social
and economic changes which occurred after the 1994 tragedy, the towns attract people for jobs,
security and various services.
1.1.4 The majority of urban population with low income
According to the survey on households living conditions (Enquête intégrale sur les conditions de
vie des ménages -EICV) carried out between 2000 and 2001, more than three people out of five
or 60,29% of the population, live below the poverty line in Rwanda. Considering the location
either in rural or urban areas, poverty rate reached 65,66% in rural areas, 19,38% in towns
(except Kigali) and 12,27% in Kigali. These results show that in Rwanda, poverty level is higher
in rural areas. According to the same survey, if you consider the "household", you will find that
poor households account for 61,68% of the total population in rural areas, 17,80% in the towns
and 10,44% in Kigali city.
1.1.5 An imposed and poorly planned urban development
Taking into account the above urban population growth rates, Kigali city needs between 8.500
and 10.000 houses every year while other cities need 15.000 houses. In 2002 and 2003, public
and private developers satisfied less than 10% of accommodation needs among people with
medium and higher income. There has been no improvement since then. The remaining
households had no other choices than to request developers’ services in areas where urban
planning has not been completed. The mushrooming houses in slums and the construction of
houses in unplanned urban areas are the products of this chaotic situation.
1.1.6 Housing and basic services
Housing
In Rwanda, the war and the 1994 genocide have destroyed so many houses as well as numerous
socio-economic infrastructures and contributed to the displacements of people within and outside
the Country. The resettlement of internally displaced citizens, the sudden return of 1959 and
1973 former refugees in 1994, and the massive return of the refugees from the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Burundi and Tanzania, as well as the Rwandan returnees from Tanzania
brought in a situation where thousands of households remained homeless.
To address this situation, the Government of Rwanda built more than 265.000 houses in grouped
settlements (Imidugudu) between 1995 and 2001. In spite of these efforts, the needs have never
been met: currently, there are about 192.000 homeless households living under precarious
conditions. More than 100.000 houses are urgently needed to protect the recent returnees from
Tanzania. In Kigali City only 10% of annual shelter needs have been satisfied between 2001 and
2003, between 80 % and 90% live in slums where 90% of houses are not built with long-lasting
building materials. In order to solve shelter shortage problems in Kigali City, many activities
have been undertaken:
Table: Houses built before 1994, in Kigali
N Owner of the building lots
°
1 Rwandan government
Number of houses
2 Caisse Hypothécaire du
Rwanda
3 Rwanda Social Security Fund
4 Rwanda Insurance Company
5 Rwanda Development Bank
6 Electrogaz
7 Rwanda National Bank
8 Rwanda Commercial Bank
Total
406
218
100
56
16
42
73
15
926
Table: Houses built in Kigali, after 1994
N°
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Owner of the building lots
UN HABITAT building site
TRI STAR
Rwanda Housing Bank
TRA ESTATE
Rwanda Social Security Fund
GOBOKA
URWEGO
Project Zone Pilote
PAUL Project
BHR Project
Project Diaspora
Batsinda Project
Total
Number of houses
2300
150
267
155
300
800
35
112
56
218
54
1.000
5447
Batsinda Project
(resettlement for urban vulnerable family)
Example of slums in Kigali to upgrade
Basic services
The uncontrolled urban settlement around the towns are the most neglected and do not have
access to appropriate basic services. Indeed, the main problems found in uncontrolled urban
settlements in Rwanda relate to the nature, access to basic services, rainwater drainage system
and waste water management system. The poorest people can not afford buying basic services
like water, education or health. Quite often, the quantity of clean water is insufficient (street
fountains are very few, far away and the disconnection of water supply is frequent). Concerning
the quality of clean water, it is worth mentioning that the water sources and drillings are not
managed by Electrogaz). In general, the equipment is not sufficient and the few ones are out of
order.
1.1.7 Urban poverty
The research carried out in 2005 (EICV 2005) on the living conditions of the Rwandan
population shows that 13% of people living in Kigali city live below the poverty line compared
to 41.5% in other towns in the country. In Rwanda, urban poverty is characterized essentially
by the following four aspects: (i) dependence on a monetized and informal economy unlike the
peasants who earn their living from what their cultivate, (ii) a higher unemployment rate among
poor people living in towns (23% in Kigali, 10 % in the remaining towns and 5% in rural areas,
(iii) an "unhealthful" living conditions in slums: Nearly all the poor people living in Rwandan
towns, particularly in Rwanda city, live in slums lacking basic socio-economic services such as
water and sanitation, decent housing etc. These slum dwellers are tempted to steal and commit
all kinds of crimes including raping children, drug addiction and other types of criminal
behavior.
Urban poverty
The research carried out in 2005 (EICV
2005) on the living conditions of the
Rwandan population shows that 13% of
people living in Kigali city live below the
poverty line compared to 41.5% in other
towns in the country.