Kigali zoning explained: will I have to demolish my house?

The Kigali Master Plan 2050 (launched 4 September 2020) is the long-term vision for how the city grows. Zoning is the rulebook that carries it out: it tells you what can be built on each plot, how tall, how much of the plot you can cover, and for what use.

Each zone sorts uses into three groups: permitted (allowed outright), conditional (allowed after review by the One Stop Centre, for example a small shop or school in a residential area) and prohibited (for example, heavy industry in a residential zone).

There are also mixed-use and commercial zones (C1, C3, and the O-C2 neighbourhood commercial overlay), plus industrial, public facility, agriculture, wetland, steep-slope and other zones.

• Have your UPI (the parcel number on your land title) ready.
• Check the interactive Kigali Master Plan map at masterplan2020.kigalicity.gov.rw, or the national land use plans at geodata.rw.
• Ask your district or City of Kigali One Stop Centre, which holds the official zoning map.
• Check for overlays too (steep slope, wetland buffer, heritage, airport restrictions, natural disaster risk). They add rules on top of the zone.

No. Zoning alone does not trigger demolition of a legally built house.

Kigali’s zoning regulations treat buildings that were legally approved but no longer match the new zoning as “non-conforming”. Their use is permitted to continue (often called being “grandfathered in”). The regulations also say that:

• In areas planned for later phases of the Master Plan, land keeps its current use, and legally approved buildings can continue as they are.
• The five-year termination period for non-conforming uses does not apply to legally approved non-conforming residential and commercial buildings, unless they block a block- or neighbourhood-scale renewal project or sit in a naturally sensitive or protected area.
• Buildings that are in the right zone but are shorter or less dense than the current standard are also not forced to rebuild.

Key word: legally approved. Buildings put up without a permit, or against zoning, are treated very differently (see below).

• Repair and maintain it so it stays safe and in good order, including roofing, sanitation and structural strengthening.
• Not enlarge it. No further increase in the floor area of a non-conforming building is allowed.
• Rebuild after damage: if damage is under 50% of its assessed value, you may restore it as it was. If damage exceeds 50%, the new building must follow current zoning.
• Don’t abandon the use: if a non-conforming use stops for more than two years, only conforming uses are allowed afterwards.

Being honest, there are four situations:

• Public-interest projects. Implementing a master plan is listed in the expropriation law as a public-interest activity (for example roads, drainage, public facilities). This is the only route to being moved against your will, and it comes with compensation (next question).
• High-risk or protected land. Houses on very steep slopes (above 30%), in wetlands or in flood and landslide zones can be relocated for safety. The City of Kigali has run relocation exercises in such areas.
• Building illegally. A project built without a permit that also breaks zoning or land use rules can be ordered demolished at the owner’s cost. Building without a permit but within the rules usually means a fine and a stop-work order until you get a permit.
• Hazardous or nuisance uses (for example a workshop creating noise or pollution in a residential area) can be terminated after five years.

Under Law No. 32/2015 on expropriation in the public interest:

• Only the government can order it, only for public interest, and with prior and fair compensation.
• For master plan projects, the project owner must negotiate with you first. Formal expropriation starts only if negotiation fails.
• Compensation covers your land and what is built on it at market value, plus 5% for disturbance. It can be money or something else you agree to (for example a replacement house).
• Payment must be made within 120 days of approval, and you have 120 days after payment to move. If they don’t pay on time, the expropriation becomes void unless you agree otherwise.
• You can appeal in writing within 30 days of the decision being published, and ask for the list of affected owners to be corrected within 15 days.
• If you dispute the valuation, you have 7 days to object in writing and can hire your own certified valuer (at your cost). If still unresolved, you can go to court within 15 days.

Once an expropriation decision is published, new long-term developments on that land are not compensated. And people occupying land unlawfully, or buildings put up in breach of the law, do not receive compensation.

Practical tip: keep your land title, building permit and occupancy documents safe. They are what prove your entitlement.

Yes, with a permit. Cosmetic or minor refurbishment without structural change is applied for on the Irembo One Stop Centre platform (reported as free, around 30 days). Extensions and new buildings must follow the rules of your zone (coverage, height, setbacks). Renovating without approval is penalised just like building without a permit.

The Master Plan is implemented in phases (2020 to 2035, then 2035 to 2050). The City of Kigali has said that permits in residential zones are issued once a detailed physical plan for the site is approved, and that sites scheduled for later phases can’t easily get one now. The City has also pointed to the requirement that at least 90% of landowners in a site sign before its physical plan is validated. If your plot is in a later phase, ask the One Stop Centre what you can do in the meantime.

• Home occupation (offices, consultancy, IT, accounting and similar) is allowed in all residential zones. Notify the One Stop Centre; use up to 25% of the floor area with at most one non-resident employee.
• Micro-enterprise (small production like tailoring or baking) is a conditional use in R1B, R2, R3 and R4. It needs approval, ground floor only, up to 30% of floor area and up to five non-resident workers.
• Changing a house to commercial use without approval is not allowed. The City has ordered owners operating businesses in unapproved residential houses to stop.

Accessory residential units (up to three per main dwelling) are allowed in R1, R1A, R2 and R3, subject to size, parking and building code rules and a Certificate of Use from the One Stop Centre.

Yes, in some cases. A change of land use to align with the Master Plan is applied for through Irembo (reported at 5,000 Rwf and 7 working days). Changing the planned zoning itself goes to the National Land Authority. For smaller departures from the rules, the One Stop Centre can approve a zoning variance case by case.

The National Land Authority has released a second edition of the zoning regulations. It consolidates the first edition and aligns it with the Kigali and district plans. Reported changes include schools, research and health facilities being permitted in all residential zones, and high-end luxury villas becoming a conditional use in residential zones.

• The plot’s zone and overlays on the official Master Plan map.
• That the land title (UPI) is clean, and the building has a valid permit and occupancy approval.
• Whether the plot has an approved physical plan and which Master Plan phase it falls in.
• Slope, wetland and road-reserve restrictions.
• Confirm everything in writing with the One Stop Centre before paying.