Gasabo District like other Districts of the City of Kigali has recently been experiencing
many urban challenges including restructuring of the existing urban settlements. Among
the existing urban buildings, some are old buildings while others are unplanned
constructions. The district is also facing a problem of asbestos roofs that must be renewed.
The government of Rwanda has initiated a policy of renewing all asbestos roofs in order to
protect the Rwandan citizens against potential serious diseases that are closely related to
asbestos.
This research intended to demonstrate the impact of asbestos removal project on urban
renewal process in Gasabo District from 2012 to 2013. The research considered the
renovated buildings, new construction projects in Gasabo District where asbestos was
removed. In the same perspective, this research evaluated the buildings where asbestos
roofs were removed and assessed the contribution of the asbestos removal project to
achieve the urban buildings renewal as one of the urban renewal or urban settlements
restructuring policy.
Apart from the health stand point, where the Government of Rwanda protects its citizens
by implementing the policy of total eradication of asbestos roofs and ceilings, this research
showed that the asbestos removal project has positively contributed to the urban renewal
process in Gasabo District because building renovation was done up to seventy-seven
percent (77%) of the whole projects.
The research findings, also showed that the building renovations works executed on
buildings after asbestos removal works in Gasabo District, consisted mainly in total
transformation of the building architectural plan at sixty one percent (61%).
The executed construction projects and works in terms of roofs replacement works,
building renovations works and demolition works followed by new construction projects
are in line with the urban renewal policy to implement the KCMP.
The findings of this research would be used by different authorities in charge of urban
planning and development in Kigali for effective urban renewal and urban settlements
restructuring