Rwandan homes that were previously earmarked to house migrants deported from the UK have already been sold to local buyers. the developer has said.
Some 70 per cent of the 163 affordable homes on the Bwiza Riverside estate have been sold, the developer ADHI-Rwanda said.
Sunak met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame today at Downing Street today, as the country marks 30 years since the Rwanda genocide that killed around 800,000 people.
The Rwanda scheme has been repeatedly delayed as a result of legal challenges preventing flights from taking off.
Rwandan homes that were previously earmarked to house migrants deported from the UK have already been sold to local buyers. the developer has said
PA
Legislation which is hoped will solve legal problems with the scheme is currently being ping-ponged between the Commons and the Lords.
A manager at the estate in Kigali, which former Home Secretary Suella Braverman visisted last year, told reporters many of the homes had gone to "private people who want to live in them".
As a result, space for only a few dozen migrants has been left if flights ever take off.
On a visit to the estate last year, Braverman said that Rwanda could "resettle many thousands of people" under the agreement.
She described the homes as being "really beautiful", adding: "great quality, really welcoming — and I really like your interior designer."
Braverman added: "I need some advice for myself".
Writing on social media at the time, she added: "During my trip I have had the opportunity to visit housing projects supported through our partnership that people seeking refuge will come to call home."
Sunak met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame today at Downing Street today
PA
Managing director of developer ADHI-Rwanda, Hassan Adan Hassan, said: "Currently we’ve sold almost 70 per cent of affordable homes. We are left with some units.
"Electricity is connected to the houses. Water and fibre optic are connected to the houses.
"The roads and street lights are done."
The estate, which has 257 units, was bankrolled as part of a public-private partnership between the Rwandan Government and the developer.
ADHI said it had "captivated the attention of discerning homebuyers and investors alike".
Last month, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said that an "initial cohort" of migrants who have arrived in the UK illegally were now being contacted.
On a visit to the estate last year, Braverman said that Rwanda could "resettle many thousands of people" under the agreement
PA
The spokesman said: "We are identifying, have identified a cohort of people who will be the first to go on the flights.
"This was so that ministers were 'ready for the flights later this spring.'"
