Available land must be used optimally if goals of the City of Kigali master plan are to be achieved.

Fidele Ndayisaba, the mayor of the City of Kigali, who was on Monday speaking during an evaluation meeting in Kigali with district mayors, sector executives, and members of the civil society and the private sector on the implementation of the development blueprint, said the city was running out of land, which called for planning.

"Kigali has a population of about 1.2 million people now, and this is projected at 3.8 million by 2040. We are left with 50 per cent developable land, which means we must use what we are left with not only sparingly but also productively,” Ndayisaba said.

The city master plan, which directs how sectors like housing, transport, job creation, among others, can be developed is currently in its first phase.

The mayor added that while every kilometre stretch of land in the city has potential to accommodate over 1,200 planned homes, Kigali has less than 100 homes on the same distance due to poor planning.

He emphasised the need to emulate Singapore’s urban planning benchmark.

"Singapore beats Kigali by only three kilometres in size, but ably accommodates over 5 million people because it’s well-planned, ” Ndayisaba said.

Dr Alponse Nkurunziza, a city engineer, said they are currently encouraging construction of apartments so that many people are accommodated in one building, as part of efforts to create optimum land use.

He also said in the long run, introduction of a rapid bus transport system, a public means structure that transports many people at a low cost, would be crucial since it would cut congestion, and also discourages personal cars which do not only worsen congestion, but also produce fumes that are harmful to the environment.

Nkurunziza added that a comprehensive road infrastructure that accommodates pedestrians and cyclists is in the offing.

Stephen Rwamurangwa, the mayor of Gasabo, said the workshop gave them an opportunity to assess existing challenges in executing the master plan, as well as figuring out how they can be overcome.

The surface of Kigali is currently covered by 19 per cent pf wetlands, 17 per cent urban area, 83 per cent rural or natural cover, and 31 per cent sloppy land.

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