Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi, yesterday, outlined the Government’s achievements in the transport sector. Several kilometres of tarmacked roads have been built, modern taxi parks set up at major cities around the country, and the country’s road, maritime, and aerial transport better developed and organised in the last five years, he told parliamentarians. The premier was addressing a joint session of both chambers of Parliament about the Government’s investments in the transport sector over the last five years. Under Article 134 of the Constitution, the Prime Minister is obliged to inform Parliament about government activities. “Rwanda has done a lot in making policies and strategies for the transport sector, including the construction of new roads and the repair of worn out ones, as well as organising the public transport services by encouraging big buses instead of the small omnibuses,” Murekezi said. The tarmacked roads include the Ngororero–Mukamira road (50km), various roads in Kigali City totalling over 65km, the road to Tumba College of Technology (9km), Bugarama-Cimerwa road (11km), access road to Bushenge hospital (3km), and roads in Huye town (3.8km). Other roads renovated and expanded include Kigali–Musanze (81km) and Kigali–Gatuna (78 km), as well as market access marram feeder roads of 972km as part of 2,550km of feeder roads planned for construction by the end of 2017. There are also roads under construction, including Ntendezi–Karongi–Rubavu (175.5km), Rusizi–Ntendezi–Nyamagabe–Huye (146.2km), as well as different cobblestone roads in Kigali (36.9km). Other major achievements registered in the transport sector include the construction of taxi parks in ten major towns countrywide, which were built in partnership with the private sector. Apart from public buses, the country’s transport services on roads are offered by private taxis for hire, locally known as ‘taxi-voitures’, as well as some 19,444 taxi-motos working under 151 cooperatives. The prime minister lauded the transport business sector for creating jobs for many Rwandans, especially the youth who are involved in transporting passengers on motorbikes. A road in Kimihurura under construction in 2013. (File) Other than road transport, aerial transport has exponentially grown with the national carrier, RwandAir, now operating eight aircraft, including three planes on lease while it owns the rest. The Government has upgraded Kigali International Airport and Kamembe airport, while a feasibility study for modernising Rubavu airport has been finalised, he noted. Murekezi also said construction of more taxiways to ensure more planes are accommodated at Kigali International Airport has started. He also said the Government is currently focused on looking for funds to build Bugesera International Airport at a tune of $500 million. In the area of maritime transport, the Government has plans to build at least seven docking sites on Lake Kivu to boost transport business in the Western Province. The Government also plans to connect Rwanda to the Indian Ocean through a railway, whose feasibility study has already been completed as part of the Northern Corridor Integration projects spearheaded by Rwanda alongside Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan. Most Members of Parliament lauded the progress made but also called for more efforts to organise and develop the sector to cater for a fast-growing population in the country. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
