Family Appeals for Help as their House is Bulldozed

{{Anger has engulfed a family of Mugunga Celestin 63, resident at Kinyinya in Gasabo district after his house was bulldozed down to pave way for construction of modern housing units by an undisclosed investor.}}

The investor has not been revealed but Gasabo district is said to have conducted the expropriation onbehalf of the investor.

Gasabo district authorities had earlier notified Mugunga including hundreds of other families that the area at which they lived, had been sold off to an investor.

All expropriation procedures were conducted by the district authorities and several families received their payments.

However, Mugunga rejected the Frw18Million he was being provided and sought evaluation services of an independent firm BAZ company Ltd which gave his property a value of Frw53Million.

IGIHE reporter arrived at the scene on Thursday, June 27 as the bulldozers crashed down Mugunga’s house as his wife Kayiganwa Drocelle and their seven children looked on helpless with tears rolling down their cheeks.

The following day June 27, IGIHE returned to the scene and found Mugunga and his family had just woken up from their makeshift bed. Neighbours had spent a night with the Mugunga family. The family has not found a place to relocate.

Kayiganwa took the matter to the president’s office seeking intervention. The official, who received Kayiganwa, immediately contacted the Gasabo district Mayor Willy Ndizeye who later said Mugunga’s Family had actually been paid. “When I heard that I heard that we had been paid, I got surprised,”Kaiganwa told IGIHE.

In a telephone interview, the District Mayor Ndizeye said Mugunga had been approached several times asking him to relocate to another place to pave way for development of the area.

Mugunga had been notified on June 12 through a letter from the district authority to relocate but he faulted. “Whatever we have done is within the legal framework,” The mayor said.

Mugunga claims he was neither approached by the District authorities nor the Investor to negotiate the value of his property, “they are giving me Frw18M but I have not been involved in the evaluation process. I hired a private consultant who valued my property at Frw53Million therefore we needed to negotiate with the Investor and agree on a value”.

Mugunga says he will not accept the Frw18Million.