‘New’ homes for refugees sent from Britain to Rwanda were marketed as an affordable housing project for locals last year.
Home secretary Suella Braverman embarked on a tour to the country this weekend as she set out to reaffirm her commitment to the Rwanda deportation policy.
No migrants have been relocated to the country so far as the deal, which was signed last April by Braverman’s predecessor Priti Patel, remains embroiled in legal battles.
On Saturday morning, Braverman was given a tour of housing on the Riverside Estate, which could provide long-term homes to migrants after the land was purchased by the Rwandan government.
The properties, with the cheapest costing around £14,000 for any potential buyers, have capacity for off-street parking, gardens and fibre-optic broadband, according to Hassan Hassan, the general manager of the construction firm that built them.
According to Daily Mail reports, Bwiza Riverside Estate will provide some of the 2,500 homes for migrants sent from Britain and is being part-funded by UK taxpayers.
But the estate appears to have been opened as an affordable housing project for locals last year.
Reports in the New Times published on February 11th 2022 suggest the houses will be used for locals, with the cost – an expected $100 million – to be funded as part of a public-private partnership between ADHI Corporate Group and the Government of Rwanda.
The newspaper goes on to note that the move “raised optimism amongst Rwandans, mainly prospective home owners and industry players who said that it would relatively address the shortage of affordable housing units in Kigali”.
Kigali alone needs over 310,000 housing units by 2032 to meet its rising demand.
Does that mean the houses have been now repurposed to fulfill the British government’s needs?
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