Kigali city to use satellite technology to monitor illegal construction

The Kigali City authorities have announced that they will use satellite technology to monitor illegal construction activities.

Kigali’s City Mayor, Samuel Dusengiyumva, told Members of Parliament that the technology will be fully operational by the end of January 2025.

He said, “We are setting up a technological system in collaboration with the Space Technology Agency to track buildings every week and remove any illegal ones as they are being built. The satellite will help us identify every plot and the construction taking place on it.”

Dusengiyumva emphasized that the technology has been approved and will soon be in use, integrated with the existing system for issuing construction permits. This will ensure that all buildings in Kigali are accounted for.

He added, “We will be able to track a plot of land on the 8th of a month and on the 12th know if construction has started, and immediately confirm whether the project has the proper permits.”

He further stated, “This technology will even allow the Minister of Local Government to check from their phone and see whether a building is being constructed without the necessary approvals.”

The Mayor reassured that with the new system, there will be no room for corruption among local officials or those at the city level, and efforts are underway to give the technology a fitting name.

Residents of Kigali have often complained about illegal and substandard buildings being constructed without oversight.

Dusengiyumva assured that once the system is in place, it will also identify unstable buildings that could pose a danger to public safety, enabling their early removal.