As Rwanda prepares to mark the 20th liberation anniversary that falls on July 4, several Rwandans are reflecting on the journey of their lives and where they would like to be in the next 20 years. This milestone has also created a platform for reminiscing where the country was 20 years ago and where it is today. As  the D-day approaches, the city is buzzing with various activities that have been lined up in the build-up to July 4.

The city will host a Pan African Youth Conference, Women Parliamentary Conference,  the 2nd International Conference on Democracy as well as a concert featuring local and international artistes.

In the last few months, Kigali has hosted various events including the AfDB Annual General Meetings that  attracted several heads of state and government and over 3,000 delegates.

"Twenty years ago, Kigali looked just like an abandoned slum. Destroyed buildings were covered in dust with bullet holes peeping through,” remembers James Kamali, 36, who entered the city in November 1994.

Kigali, like many parts of the country, had been reduced to ashes following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi with countless corpses lining the street.

"It was a deserted city with no place to go and no TV to watch. There was  virtually no life,” Kamali recalls.

Today, Kigali is a different place. The street lights, paved roads, sidewalks and fancy coffee shops and the continually growing skyline are a main feature of the city today. 

The story of the changing face of Kigali would be incomplete without looking at how Rwandans worked hard to transform their city.

"We chose to think big, that is why we liberated the country,” President Kagame said on April 7, 2014, during the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Genocide.

And, indeed, it is this spirit that has inspired Rwanda’s transformation journey.

Infrastructure

By 1995, the tallest building was commonly known as Kwa Rubangura, in reference to the owner, Vedaste Rubangura.

Rubangura was one of the wealthiest Rwandans at the time. His building had five floors but only three were occupied. It had just two toilets that served almost the entire facility.

"Rubangura’s building was iconic by then. It was the major reference point of everything in the city, but, although it still exists and has been renovated, it is now just a dwarf,” Kamali said.

Green city

The ban against plastic bags has helped greatly beautify the city. The green areas, the parks and gardens now serve as spaces for photo shoots. On weekends, Police have to manage traffic to enable newly weds safely take pictures.

The city has now provided for a budget for developing new parks, which is good news coming at a time when there is a concern that wetlands are being taken over by businesses. Efforts to preserve green spaces have pitted environmentalists against businesses. The cost of relocating businesses has made the battle even tougher.

Technology

Last year, city residents learnt that they would have access to free wireless internet in specific areas under what has been dubbed the ‘Smart Kigali’ initiative. The designated areas for free wi-fi include public buses, King Faisal Hospital, Nyabugogo Taxi Park, and commercial buildings and restaurants within the city. Technology, just like the environment, is at the heart of the country’s development agenda.

Now with the roll-out of the fibre optic, 4G - LTE and mass awareness, access to technology is gradually becoming a basic necessity for city dwellers. 

Entertainment/ lifestyle

With the coming of the Cinema, springing up of live bands and the emergency of several local musicians, Kigali is fast growing into an entertainment centre. New nightclubs and bars also keep coming up.

But we need more to boost the entertainment industry. City dwellers are yearning for outdoor activities and the city authorities can help by extending incentives to business ideas in this area. Kigali is a metropolitan city that needs more activity. Yes there is a bowling alley, how about Go Karting and Paint ball, to mention but a few.

Street Names

It would be unfair to talk about the changing face of Kigali, without one of the recent developments - street names. That is street naming. Even the most remote streets have addresses which can be located with Geographical Information systems. 

Gone are the days when people used big trees and colour of paints on buildings or even their names. "Kwa Mushimire”, "Goodyear”, "Peyage”, "Ndoli’s”, "Kabindi”, "Kumunyiya,” are some of the few popular names.

Though the names may stick for generations, for those building GPS gadgets, the above names may not work when searching for the location using GPS.

But with the recent naming of the streets, just by punching in the numbers, locating places in Kigali has never been much easier.

One can order food and have it delivered with little or no hustle. Some neighbourhoods have gone an extra mile and instructed all home owners to put identification numbers on every home.

Moving Forward

As the City continues its journey, planners will have to be wary of the pressure  brought about by population growth. Kigali is fast becoming one of the most densely populated cities on the African continent.  

Last year’s population census put Kigali’s population at 1.135 million (16 per cent of the country’s population) and projected a 4 per cent growth rate annually. With a total area of 730 square kilometres, the average population density is 1,556 persons per square kilometre, a cause for concern.

In the next six years, the same census projected that with all factors constant, at the current growth rate of 4 per cent per annum, the city’s population could clock three million in the next six years.

City dwellers will, therefore, demand for an efficient drainage system, adequate and affordable housing and facilities like the long awaited sewerage system.