WESTERN PROVINCE

RUSIZI – The district authority as part of its plans to build a new city has ordered residents to cut down banana plantations in Kamembe Sector, in order to pave way for the building of Rusizi City.

The move started in Gihundwe cell on Tuesday, where hundreds of banana plants were brought down.The exercise is meant to continue to other cells of the sector.

Françoise  Nirere, the Rusizi District vice Mayor of in charge of Social Affairs, told The New Times that the city will be carved out of the four sectors of Kamembe, Gihundwe, Nkanka and Mururu.

Banana plantation found to be not productive  will be cut down in all these sectors.

"Many residents in Kamembe town have banana plantations; this is not good because it leads to unplanned growth of our town. We are cutting down these plantations in order to prepare residents to have planned buildings according to the city master plan,” Nirere said on Wednesday. 

If fully implemented, Nirere noted that it will improve the living conditions of the area residents.

However, residents who spoke to The New Times expressed mixed reactions about the move.

While some welcomed it, saying the plants give the town a poor image, others complained about the decision.

"Cutting down our banana plantations may cause food shortages within families unless the district provides an alternative to bananas,” one of the residents whose banana plants were cut warned.

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