Four unplanned settlement zones of the City of Kigali will start being upgraded during the upcoming fiscal year 2021-2022, officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure have announced.
The four zones are Mpazi in Gitega, parts of Kimisagara and Rwezamenyo sectors of Nyarugenge District, Gatenga in Gatenga Sector of Kicukiro District and Nyabisindu of Remera Sector, and Nyagatovu areas of Kimironko Sector in Gasabo District.
They are among the City of Kigali’s remaining unplanned settlements and the plan is to have them all livable by establishing better road network with pedestrian walkways, street lighting and proper drainage systems as is being done in Rwanda’s six secondary cities and parts of Kigali to enhance urbanisation.
Since 2016, several previously unplanned settlements in Kigali, including Agatare Cell of Nyarugenge Sector and Mumena Cell in Nyamirambo Sector have been upgraded, courtesy of the Rwanda Urban Development Project (RUDP) where the WB injected $95 million and the government of Rwanda, $5 million.
The overall project development objective is to provide access to basic infrastructure and enhance urban management in selected urban centers of the participating Districts.
The project aims to provide an integrated package of support to address key challenges associated with Rwanda’s urbanization. These are: access to basic infrastructure to promote livability and Local Economic Development (LED); upgrading of unplanned areas to promote inclusive urbanization; building the capacity of District governments for better urban management; and supporting Districts to engage with the private sector and enable local economic development.
The second Rwanda Urban Development Project (RUDP II) project is set to be implemented between July 2021 and 2025.
For the four new sites, the project cost for City of Kigali urban upgrading of unplanned settlements is $40.2 million.
In other parts of the city where the project enabled what officials call the comprehensive urban upgrading of informal settlements, residents are happy.
In Nyarugenge Sector (Agatare Cell) alone, infrastructure upgrading including new roads and drainage systems cost more than Rwf 7.5 billion.
As of Thursday, June 11, work to upgrade the area was estimated at 77 per cent; with asphalt roads and street lights set on up to 6.6 kilometres in addition to some 2.5 kilometres of drainage systems, among other things.
Dorothea Mujawayezu, a resident of the Rugunga neighbourhood, said: "We are happy, this used to be a very bad road. People, especially the elderly, faced it rough walking here. In addition, there used to be thugs who robbed people too but now that the roads are good and lit, that’s history.”
In the Mumena area of Nyamirambo Sector, new road construction works are ongoing with the dirt murram road being upgraded to asphalt.
Yvonne Mutangampundu, a tailor who resides in Kiberinka Village, in Mumena Cell, said they have waited for better roads for way too long. Now that it is finally happening, she noted she plans to bring her tailoring business closer to her home so that she can manage it better.
She added: "We are looking forward to our new tarmac road being finished. The road from here has been so terrible. Imagine how things would be here during the rains. It is usually awfully bad; the mud can be so bad.
"This road will bring development closer to us. I want to set up a tailoring shop next to my home once the road is finished.”