The Gardens of Peace: How Iwawe Properties Rwanda is Building More Than Homes

The rain had just ceased over Kigali when David Müller first saw the valley. As a Swiss impact investor, he’d spent decades funding eco-projects from Costa Rica to Bhutan, but Rwanda’s emerald hills felt different. War-scarred yet radiantly resilient, this nation mirrored his own quest: to prove that *true returns lay not in extraction, but in restoration. His guide, Muganga Zack, co-founder of Iwawe Properties Rwanda, stood beside him, pointing toward a community where solar panels glinted beside terracotta roofs. "Here," Muganga said, "we build peace, one home at a time."  

 Chapter 1: The Visionary’s Blueprint  

Muganga Zack wasn’t always a real estate disruptor. In 2015, he co-founded Iwawe Properties with a radical idea: urban housing could be both a human right and a harmony engine . While global developers chased luxury towers, Muganga focused on Rwanda’s "missing middle" – teachers, nurses, artisans – those whose dreams were throttled by unaffordable rents. "Peace begins," he often said, "when a market woman sleeps without fearing eviction." His model blended affordability with uncompromising quality, using high-grade materials and local craftsmanship . By 2025, Iwawe managed over 4,000 properties, from compact city apartments to sprawling villas, all anchored in community ecology .  

Chapter 2: The Investor’s Awakening  

David’s skepticism melted as they toured Iwawe’s projects. In Remera, a duplex development buzzed with life: children played in shared gardens while rainwater harvesting systems irrigated native plants . Muganga explained their "three pillars of peace":  

1. Inclusion: Housing for all classes – social workers, middle-income families, executives – eliminating envy-rooted strife .  

2. Sustainability: Solar energy, recycled water, and non-toxic materials slashed living costs and carbon footprints .  

3. Cultural Weaving: Local murals adorned walls; co-op shops sold Rwandan coffee. "Prosperity without erasure," Muganga called it .  

David noted how gated entrances and surveillance systems weren’t barriers but connective tissue – ensuring safety so community trust could flourish .  

Chapter 3: The Ripple Effect  

At the Nyamirambo Women’s Center, David met Uwera, a seamstress who’d leased an Iwawe live-work apartment. "Before, I sewed in a slum’s back room," she shared. "Now my shop fronts the street, and my children study under solar lights." Muganga’s team had partnered with local cooperatives, offering rent discounts to entrepreneurs who trained others . Nearby, a tech hub housed in an Iwawe commercial property incubated young coders. Profits from Iwawe’s luxury villas – like the five-bedroom executive homes with staff quarters – subsidized these spaces. "We cross-pollinate wealth," Muganga said. "A villa sale plants seeds in places money rarely flows."  

Chapter 4: The Architecture of Belonging  

The climax unfolded at Iwawe’s newest eco-village. David watched as families moved into duplexes designed for cross-ventilation, their kitchens opening onto communal herb gardens. Muganga’s philosophy permeated every detail:  

- Strategic Locations: Near schools, clinics, and markets to dissolve commute stresses .  

- Flexible Spaces: Apartments for singles, duplexes for multigenerational clans, villas for extended families – each nurturing Rwandan social fabric .  

- Art as Glue: Sculptures by local artists dotted courtyards, reminding residents: "*Your culture is your compass" .  

That evening, David joined a neighborhood umuganda(community work day). As they planted trees, a retired teacher whispered, "During the genocide, this hill witnessed hell. Now, these homes are our peace treaty."  

Epilogue: The Currency of Harmony  

David invested $5 million that month, but Muganga’s true victory lay beyond capital. Iwawe had become a peacemaking prototype:  

- Economic Pacification: By housing 4,000+ families across classes, they’d reduced the desperation fueling petty crime .  

- Ecological Calm: Solar arrays and water systems made resource conflicts obsolete .  

- Cultural Reconciliation: Shared spaces hosted Rwandan artisans, their collaborations sold in Iwawe’s rental-shop fronts .  

As David boarded his flight home, he reread Muganga’s LinkedIn post: "Urban living shouldn’t be a war of survival. We build shelters where dignity is the foundation, and community is the roof" . Somewhere below, in the valley of a thousand hills, a market woman locked her new shop, kissed her child, and slept – fearless. And in that ordinary peace, an extraordinary world took root.  

Key Themes in Iwawe’s Peace-Building Model

| Pillar| Strategy | Impact | Inclusive Design | Housing for social workers to executives | Reduced class resentment; economic mobility |  

| Eco-Stewardship| Solar panels, rainwater harvesting | Lower costs; environmental solidarity |  

| Cultural Spaces| Local art, co-op shops, communal areas | Pride in heritage; intergroup dialogue |  

|Safety Nets| Gated communities, surveillance | Trauma-sensitive security; child safety |  

"When houses become hearths, and neighbors become kin, peace is no longer a dream – it’s an address."

Muganga Zack, Co-Founder, Iwawe Properties Rwanda