KIGALI - The opening of the commuter terminal at the former Kigali Central Police Station in Muhima has been delayed for about three months, Kigali City officials have said.

Alphonse Nizeyimana, Kigali City Vice Mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development, said Tuesday that the terminal which was previously set to be operational beginning this year, was hampered by the expropriation exercise in the area.

He said that a pedestrian pathway connecting the city centre to Nyamirambo Road, forced the developers to change the design of the road.

"There were people in the area where we had previously planned to put up the road. We later established that this road could not be constructed. It became necessary to change the design of the road which delayed the completion of the terminal,” Nizeyimana said.

The design, he said was submitted to Kigali City Construction One-Stop Centre in November; about three months after the construction of the terminal had started and was approved.

"Now they are doing a detailed design of the road in line with the amendments they made, and we hope by March the terminal will be complete,” he added.

Sekoko Hatari, a co-owner of the 200 million dollar project, had earlier said that their activities for the first phase of the project, which also included drainage systems, are almost complete, and laid the blame on City authorities for the delays in the completion of the project.

Once complete, the terminal will accommodate 507 cars; with 169 minibuses and 145 buses. Currently, there are over 1,180 commuter vehicles operating in Kigali city.
The terminal will also have a parking section for private cars and special hire taxis, as a way of decongesting traffic within the City.

The terminal is part of the project dubbed ‘Down Town Ltd’ which will also include shopping malls, plaza, apartments, and hospitality facilities such as hotels and restaurants.

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