The third edition of the Kigali Car-Free Day will not take place this Sunday due to the Rwanda Shima Imana crusade, the City of Kigali has said.

Rwanda Shima Imana crusade is an annual gospel event that is scheduled to start this Sunday.

To avoid having the two events coincide, the City found it better to reschedule the Car-Free Day exercise, which normally occurs on the first Sunday of the month, to August 14, and will, as usual, begin from 7am to noon.

Residents from Remera will meet at Amahoro National Stadium, those from Nyamirambo will meet at the car free zone, those from Kacyiru will meet at Ninzi Hotel and all groups will later converge at Rwanda Revenue Authority parking grounds.

Speaking to The New Times, Bruno Rangira, the spokesperson of the City of Kigali, said: "We expect a bigger audience, that is why this time we have shifted our event from August 7 so as not to clash with the crusade that will be happening on the same day.”

The purpose of the event is to help city residents exercise, get a chance to meet and interact and also provide them with free medical advice and testing for non-communicable diseases.

He said Rwanda National Police will be on hand to provide security for all people that will participate from the start to the finish.

"The City of Kigali invites everyone to come and join in the exercise as it’s important to have a healthy body. They should come and enjoy their city,” added Rangira.

Alexander Ndagijimana, a city resident, said it was disappointing that the event is being moved to next Sunday, calling for authorities to use different channels of communication to ensure everybody is aware of the postponement.

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