Mérard Mpabwanamaguru has been elected as the vice mayor in charge of urbanization and infrastructure in the City of Kigali. He replaces Ernest Nsabimana who was late last year appointed as the Director-General of RURA in December last year. Mpabwanamaguru has been working as a lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, GIS and Remote Sensing at the University of Lay Adventists of Kigali (UNILAK). He studied at Atlantic International University (AIU) in the United States. He has previously worked at the City of Kigali where he headed urban planning until 2017. Mpabwanamaguru is among the City of Kigali councilors who were recently appointed in a cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame and were sworn in on Friday, August 6, by the president of the High court, Xavier Ndahayo. Other councilors include Marie-Grace Nishimwe, Gérardine Umutesi and Christian Kajeneri Mugenzi. The swearing-in ceremony was followed by electing the Vice Mayor to replace Nsabimana. Meanwhile, Didas Kayihura was elected as the City Council Chairperson having been serving as vice president of the council since 2019. Kayihura has previously worked as a lecturer of laws at the University of Rwanda and he is currently the rector of the Institute for Legal Practice and Development (ILPD). Kayihura replaces Jeannette Bayisenge, who is currently the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion. Meanwhile, Nishimwe was elected as the city council vice-chairperson. She is the Head of Land Administration Department at Rwanda Land Management and Use Authority where she has been working for 13 years. The Minister of State in Charge of Social Affairs and Social Protection, Ignatienne Nyirarukundo urged the elected officials to work hard so as to boost infrastructure development, urbanisation, housing challenges and social welfare in the capital. She urged the elected officials to ensure that development projects transform the lives of city dwellers, urging them to always involve the citizens in all that they plan to do to earn their trust and support. The new city management has a huge task in implementing the new city master plan to be implemented from 2020 up to 2050 that was launched last year in September. The new master plan introduces a flexible and incremental approach to city development as it seeks to accommodate 3.8 million populations in 2050 from the current 1.6 million populations. Among the major issues that need attention include affordable housing schemes, upgrading slums, roads development, greening the city, sustainable land use, transport among many others.
