Manufacturers operating from the Kigali Special Economic Zone have decried the increasing cost of transporting workers to and from work, saying the industrial park in Nyandungu, Gasabo District is not served by public transport commuter buses.

Patrick Makuza, the Rwanda Foam Industry chief, said most of the firms hire private companies to transport workers, which is ‘eating into’ their earnings.

"It would be convenient and cost effective if the park is provided with public transport,” Makuza told The New Times during an assessment tour by the Ministry of Trade and Industry officials on Tuesday.

He said though they encourage workers to stay in the neighbourhood, it is important for the park to be served by public transport service providers.

There are over 90 firms operating in Kigali Special Economic Zone, employing about 2,000 workers.

In August 2013, Kigali Bus Service, Royal Express and the Rwanda Federation of Transport Co-operatives (RFTC), signed a five-year contract to provide public transport on different routes in the City of Kigali. However, no firm was allocated the special economic zone route.

Responding to the complaint, Alex Ruzibukira, the director general for investments at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said talks between City of Kigali, Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency and the ministry are ongoing with view to solving the problem. "We are aware of the problem and are trying to work with public transporters to exploit the business opportunities in the industrial park,” he said.

According to Reuben Ahimbisibwe, the in-charge of infrastructure development at the City of Kigali, Kigali Bus Service and RFTC are supposed to operate the route to the special economic zone. "We have to verify why the bus companies haven’t started operations because we assigned the route to them two weeks ago,” he said

Charles Ngarambe, the chairman Public Transporters Association, however, said there is need to first streamline the route and create a bus station inside the zone to ease service delivery.

Meanwhile, the relocation factories to the special economic zone is expected to be completed by end of next year, Francois Kanimba, the Minister for Trade and Industry, said. So far, the completed part of the zone, which covers 98 hectares, has attracted 90 companies.

Warehouses and garages from Gikondo Industrial Park are expected to have relocated by 2017, he added.

business@newtimes.co.rw