If Kigali City Overcharged Your Land Permit, Parliament Has Ordered Refund

People who may have been overcharged can now reclaim a refund

The Chamber of Deputies has directed the City of Kigali to refund Rwf 177,165,500 unlawfully collected from residents in excess building permit charges, and to recover an additional Rwf 14,380,000 that was meant for the state treasury but never deposited.

The order follows a plenary session held on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, during which lawmakers adopted a resolution to be submitted to the Ministry of Local Government.

The resolution includes a roadmap setting deadlines for the City of Kigali to correct irregularities in its building permit and inspection processes.

Refunds to Begin in 2025–2026

The City of Kigali acknowledged the problem, attributing the overcharges to the malfunction of the BPMIS (Building Permits Management Information System). Officials said the system has since been upgraded.

They assured Parliament that – Residents who were overcharged will be refunded beginning in the 2025–2026 fiscal year.

Plans are underway to ensure the state also recovers its lost funds.

Foundation Inspections and Unauthorized Occupancy

Lawmakers also raised concerns over buildings being erected without foundation inspections and some being occupied without official clearance.

In response, the City of Kigali said: “According to the Rwanda Building Code, every building under construction must be inspected from the foundation to completion to ensure compliance with the permit issued. Any applicant for a foundation inspection receives feedback within three days.”

The Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA) confirmed its joint role with the City in building inspections and promised stronger collaboration, including the use of construction professionals and drones to improve oversight.

Addressing System Failures

Another issue highlighted was the mismatch between land sizes shown on building drawings and those recorded on permits. Both Kigali City and RHA explained that the old BPMIS could not automatically read or verify drawings.

They told Parliament they are studying how Artificial Intelligence could be applied to read and validate construction plans without manual staff intervention.

Lawmakers further questioned why applicants often received incomplete responses when seeking building permits.

The City explained that missing documents were usually requested before permits were issued, but no evidence was presented to prove this issue had been resolved, nor were preventive measures shared.

Two-Month Deadline

The adopted resolution gives the City of Kigali a maximum of two months to address these irregularities.

Parliament tasked the Ministry of Local Government with following up on the matter and reporting back to the Chamber of Deputies on how the problems were resolved.