Bujumbura : residents denounce a “scam” surrounding social housing

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, June 4, 2026 – Faced with a prolonged wait, many residents of Burundi’s commercial capital are expressing growing skepticism about the social housing project initiated by the government. Launched nearly three years ago, this program is struggling, according to them, to show concrete progress on the ground.

For many families, this initiative represented a glimmer of hope in a context marked by soaring rents and deteriorating living conditions in urban areas.

“We paid, but nothing is happening”.

In the Carama neighborhood, on the northern outskirts of Bujumbura, a resident expressed his frustration with the project’s delay :

“Social housing could truly be a solution for many families in Bujumbura. “But we’ve already paid, and so far, nothing has been concretized. When I see how the government’s projects are progressing, I doubt this one will ever come to fruition,” he confides.

This testimony reflects a sentiment shared by several citizens, who cite a lack of transparency and the absence of visible results on the ground.

Increasingly fragile trust

Other residents are even more critical and say they have lost faith in the project :

“Perhaps things will change with a different administration. But today, it feels like everything is being done to squeeze money out of us. The money we paid for this social housing is already lost,” laments another resident.

These comments reflect a broader crisis of confidence in certain public initiatives.

Cost of living pressure

Beyond the project itself, residents emphasize the economic difficulties facing urban households.

“Rents have increased dramatically.” For civil servants, this is a very serious problem. “My wife and I earn less than 400,000 Burundian francs a month. It’s already difficult to pay the children’s school fees and feed ourselves after paying the rent. Under these conditions, building our own house is unthinkable,” explains another citizen.

According to him, the mistrust isn’t limited to social housing, but also extends to other public promises.

A growing urban discontent

These accounts reflect a real unease among the urban population. While the need for housing is becoming increasingly urgent in Bujumbura, the lack of visible results risks exacerbating distrust of public policies.

For many residents, the social housing project remains an unfulfilled promise. Between initial hope and gradual disillusionment, its success will now depend on the authorities’ ability to translate commitments into concrete and visible achievements.