The Hope Hostel in Kigali, Rwanda, has been ready to receive asylum seekers from the United Kingdom for 664 days. As the UK government pushes to finalize the controversial legislation to deport asylum seekers to the East African country, the Rwandan government is eager to fill the echoing rooms and halls within a matter of weeks.
While Rwanda has largely remained silent throughout the legal battles in Britain over the plan's legality, the country has meticulously prepared for the arrivals since June 2022, two months after the deal was agreed upon.
A tour of the eerily empty hostel in Kigali, led by the manager Ismael Bakina, revealed bedrooms laid out with care, furnished with details like prayer rugs and toiletries. Gardeners have been trimming the hedges of the lushly green grounds, which boast a football pitch and basketball court, while cooks and cleaners have been busy performing their duties in a surreal anticipation of the new residents.
Bakina assured that the hostel is ready to accommodate the asylum seekers at a moment's notice, stating, "Even if they arrived now, today not tomorrow, we are able to accommodate them. We are keeping our readiness 100%."
While some Rwandans, like Emmanuel Kanimba, a restaurant owner in Kigali, believe the influx of asylum seekers could be economically beneficial for the nation, providing human capital and new ideas, others express concerns about the availability of jobs for the newcomers.
"But where are you going to find the jobs for these people?" asked one man, who chose to remain anonymous, reflecting an underlying fear of dissent in the country. "We ourselves have graduated but we have not yet secured jobs. We are out there searching for jobs."
Critics, including human rights agencies, the political opposition, and even assessments by the UK's Foreign Office as recently as 2021, have raised concerns about Rwanda's record on suppressing dissent. Victoire Ingabire, an outspoken opposition figure once jailed on charges of threatening state security, argues that the asylum seekers are getting a bad deal, as they will face similar problems in Rwanda, where they cannot express themselves freely and may not find the well-being they seek.
The Rwandan government strongly denies these allegations and has passed a law to address the concerns raised by Britain's Supreme Court, including ratifying a treaty with the UK to strengthen protections for asylum seekers and guarantees that they would not be sent back to the countries they fled.
Doris Uwicyeza Picard, the Director of the Rwandan government's Migration and Economic Development Partnership Coordination Unit, stated that while the right to protest peacefully within the confines of the law is protected, refugees' political activities are restricted by the Refugee Convention.
Rwanda has welcomed other asylum seekers, often pointing to a transit centre south of Kigali, administered by the UN's refugee agency, as proof of its ability to take care of them. However, according to the camp manager, Fares Ruyumbu, none of the Africans housed there, who were stuck in Libya trying to reach Europe, have chosen to settle in Rwanda.
For the asylum seekers, whether at the transit centre or those yet to arrive, the journey is about seeking a better future. Whether Rwanda will be a detour, a dead end, or a new home remains to be seen.