OBUHA was created by presidential decree no 100/079 of 24 May 2019, which described its creation, missions, organization and functions.

It is a legal entity with its own assets and financial autonomy, supervised by the Minister responsible for Urban Planning and Housing.

However, given lack of funding and the risk of floods, the agency soon allowed the cooperatives that did manual dredging to resume work.

The cooperatives would pay OBUHA for the construction materials they retrieved, and were committed to building dikes and planting trees to protect the river banks.

[2] In August 2023 OBUHA defined regulations that applied to many of the districts in the Mukaza, Muha and Ntahangwa communes of Bujumbura Mairie.