[ Étude des particularités urbaines de la cité Maman Olive Lembe Kabila à Kinshasa, RD Congo ]
Volume 85, Issue 2, July 2026, Pages 98–111
Mbuyi Mbwebwe Jaebets1, Okoto Washema Mamie-Alice2, Lokadinga Wemba Noël3, Cipamba Kanda Paul4, and Mvumbi Sylvain Mavinga5
1 Mastérant et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
2 Mastérante et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
3 Mastérant et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
4 Mastérant et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
5 Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Département des Ressources Naturelles, BP 314 Boma, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
During the colonial period, the indigénat policy, characterized by a discriminatory system imposed by Belgium, had enabled the colonial authorities to confine rural populations to their villages, restricting their movement in order to exploit rubber resources and develop infrastructure. Faced with the need to provide the urban workforce with decent housing, the colonial administration in the former Belgian Congo introduced a housing policy that involved either granting loans for the construction of houses using durable building materials or constructing entire residential neighborhoods for the population. In the 1950s, urban challenges compelled Léopoldville to undergo significant transformation and expand southward and eastward. The city embarked on the occupation of new land for urban development. Urban planning programs were implemented, leading to the proliferation of residential settlements known as Limete, Matete, Ndjili (Neighborhood 1 only), Bandalungwa, Kasa-Vubu, and Kalamu. Furthermore, the housing developments established in the municipalities of Lemba and Matete, as well as in part of Ndjili, were designed to accommodate employees working in the industries of Limete and at Lovanium University. However, following the country's independence, the absence of a rational and planned housing policy, uncontrolled rural-to-urban migration, and the rapid population growth experienced by the city of Kinshasa led to a severe housing crisis and the proliferation of unsanitary neighborhoods (De Saint Moulin, 2014). Faced with these mounting challenges and with the aim of providing decent housing for vulnerable families in Kinshasa, in particular, Marie Olive Lembe Kabila[1] initiated the construction of the residential development bearing her name, located in the Sicotra/Lokali neighborhood of the N'Sele municipality. This development constitutes the central focus of this scientific publication.
Author Keywords: Rural areas, Rapid population growth, Urbanization, Urban characteristics, Residential development, Housing.
Volume 85, Issue 2, July 2026, Pages 98–111
Mbuyi Mbwebwe Jaebets1, Okoto Washema Mamie-Alice2, Lokadinga Wemba Noël3, Cipamba Kanda Paul4, and Mvumbi Sylvain Mavinga5
1 Mastérant et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
2 Mastérante et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
3 Mastérant et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
4 Mastérant et Assistant au Département de Géographique-Gestion de l’Environnement à l’Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de la Gombe, Kinshasa, RD Congo
5 Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Département des Ressources Naturelles, BP 314 Boma, RD Congo
Original language: French
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
During the colonial period, the indigénat policy, characterized by a discriminatory system imposed by Belgium, had enabled the colonial authorities to confine rural populations to their villages, restricting their movement in order to exploit rubber resources and develop infrastructure. Faced with the need to provide the urban workforce with decent housing, the colonial administration in the former Belgian Congo introduced a housing policy that involved either granting loans for the construction of houses using durable building materials or constructing entire residential neighborhoods for the population. In the 1950s, urban challenges compelled Léopoldville to undergo significant transformation and expand southward and eastward. The city embarked on the occupation of new land for urban development. Urban planning programs were implemented, leading to the proliferation of residential settlements known as Limete, Matete, Ndjili (Neighborhood 1 only), Bandalungwa, Kasa-Vubu, and Kalamu. Furthermore, the housing developments established in the municipalities of Lemba and Matete, as well as in part of Ndjili, were designed to accommodate employees working in the industries of Limete and at Lovanium University. However, following the country's independence, the absence of a rational and planned housing policy, uncontrolled rural-to-urban migration, and the rapid population growth experienced by the city of Kinshasa led to a severe housing crisis and the proliferation of unsanitary neighborhoods (De Saint Moulin, 2014). Faced with these mounting challenges and with the aim of providing decent housing for vulnerable families in Kinshasa, in particular, Marie Olive Lembe Kabila[1] initiated the construction of the residential development bearing her name, located in the Sicotra/Lokali neighborhood of the N'Sele municipality. This development constitutes the central focus of this scientific publication.
Author Keywords: Rural areas, Rapid population growth, Urbanization, Urban characteristics, Residential development, Housing.
Abstract: (french)
Durant la période coloniale, la politique de l’indigénat caractérisée par un régime discriminatoire imposé par la Belgique avait permis de contenir les populations de campagne dans les milieux ruraux, limitant ainsi leurs déplacements, dont la finalité était d’exploiter le caoutchouc et les infrastructures. Face à la nécessité de fournir à la main-d’œuvre urbaine un logement décent, l’autorité coloniale (ex-Congo belge) avait mis sur pied une politique d’habitat consistant, soit à octroyer des crédits, en vue de la construction des maisons en matériaux durables, soit encore à procéder à la construction des quartiers entiers pour la population. Dans les années 1950, les défis urbains ont contraint Léopoldville à se métamorphoser et à étendre sa superficie dans les axes Sud et Est. La ville se lança dans l’occupation de l’espace, pour l’urbanisation. Des programmes d’organisation urbaine furent misent en œuvre et ont permis la multiplication des cités appelées Limete, Matete, Ndjili (seulement le quartier 1), Bandalungwa, Kasa-Vubu et Kalamu. En plus, les habitats érigés dans les communes de Lemba, Matete et une partie de Ndjili furent conçus pour loger les employés œuvrant dans les industries de Limete et à l’Université Lovanium. Cependant après l’accession du pays à l’indépendance, l’absence d’une politique rationnelle et planifiée d’habitat, l’exode rural effréné et incontrôlé ainsi que la croissance démographique galopante qu’avait connu la ville de Kinshasa avaient entrainé cette crise de logement aigue et une multiplication des quartiers insalubres (De Saint Moulin, 2014). Devant ces difficultés grandissantes, et dans le souci d’offrir aux familles vulnérables de Kinshasa notamment, des maisons décentes, Marie Olive Lembe Kabila eut l’initiative de construire la cité portant son nom, dans la commune de la N’sele au quartier Sicotra/Lokali. Celle-ci constitue l’élément central de cette publication scientifique.
Author Keywords: Milieux ruraux, Croissance démographique galopante, Urbanisation, Particularités urbaines, cité, Logement.
How to Cite this Article
Mbuyi Mbwebwe Jaebets, Okoto Washema Mamie-Alice, Lokadinga Wemba Noël, Cipamba Kanda Paul, and Mvumbi Sylvain Mavinga, “Study of the Urban Characteristics of the Maman Olive Lembe Kabila Housing Estate in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 85, no. 2, pp. 98–111, July 2026.
