City Master Plan to be priority for 2009

KIGALI - The City of Kigali will this year direct all efforts towards the implementation of the Kigali Master Plan in order to streamline and organise settlement patterns in the city for better service delivery. Addressing residents of Kigali, local leaders and members of the Civil Society during the climax of the public accountability week, the Mayor of Kigali, Dr Aisa Kirabo Kakira, said that it’s through the Master Plan that most problems city residents face such as traffic jams, congestion, insecurity, water shortages and others will be solved. The accountability week which is part and parcel of the Performance Contracts is organised by city authorities to present to the public the achievements of the past year and use it as a platform to share ideas with the public. Among the concerns raised by residents was the alarming state of public transport in the city, water shortages, poor roads insecurity and the problem of displacement of residents by City authorities to create way for bigger development projects, among others. In her response, the Mayor said that most of the concerns raised by residents have been existent for many years but the Kigali City Master Plan was designed to address most of these obstacles as soon as it implemented, urging everybody to embrace it. She said that it’s for the good of the nation that expropriation and full compensation of people in prime areas is done to enable bigger developments takeover where less productive settlements were. In a bid to implement the master plan, expropriation and resettlement work is currently going on in several sites including Batsinda, Kinyinya, Kimicanga and Kimihurura while evaluation of resident’s property is going on in Kagarama--Kicukiro, Akumunigo, Rugarama and Masaka. Kirabo also said that consultations with ATRACO, the commuter transporters’ association, are underway to solve public transport problems and a new site for a taxi park is being identified within the city centre to clear the commotion at the central Kigali main stage commonly known as Kwa Rubangura. She also said that a central drainage system to replace the old water supply system is being developed to supply over 60,000 Cubic metres of water daily to the over one million city residents. She also assured residents that the council is securing funds to work on several roads around the city including the Nyamirambo-Mburabuturo road, Kanombe road and Kimihurura-Primature roads which are in bad shape. She added that the Sopetrad round about will be expanded and redesigned to solve the problems of traffic jam in the morning and evenings. Ends

National

City Master Plan to be priority for 2009