“We don’t expect to get compensation that equals all the money we have used to build”, says one resident.
As the government prepares to evacuate residents of areas around the plot where a new presidential palace is being built just outside Bujumbura city, in Gasenyi locality, the residents fear they will not get fair compensation.
So far, they are not yet aware of the compensation options. No compensation bill has been passed yet; residents don’t know it will ever be passed.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, potential evacuees say they expect the worse.
One person whose building activities were halted says, “My problem is unique. I am building on a plot I have bought. So far, the money I have used amounts to BIF 25million I have borrowed from a bank. There is no hope I will get a compensation that matches that sum”.
“We don’t expect to get compensation that equals all the money we have used for the construction of our houses”, said another person.
There are people who had land on which they were planning to build and carry out other plans. They are not sure they will get compensation fees that will allow them to get new plots of land. “I fear they might not give us a compensation that will help us acquire new plots”, said one source.
Zénon Ndaruvukanye, an MP from Bujumbura province, says compensation matters will be discussed between potential evacuees and the government. He ensures that he, as a representative of the population, will do his best to make sure people get fair compensation.
The government is building the new palace in a land situated in Gasenyi locality. The building will shelter offices of the president and his two vices, that of the ministerial council and the like.
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