The City of Kigali is working around the clock to ensure some of the major infrastructure projects are completed ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) slated in June this year, an official has said. The high level meeting will be held after being postponed for two consecutive years due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Among some of the preparations being undertaken by the city include expansion of deviation roads with view to ease traffic flow mainly of the Airport Road, while other facilities are being put in place to ensure the guests have a better experience while in Kigali. Speaking to The New Times in an exclusive interview, Merard Mpabwanamaguru, Kigali’s Vice-Mayor in charge of urbanisation and infrastructure said that many of the projects were already ongoing but they would expedite the works to coincide with the meeting. “To provide a good experience and attract more hiking enthusiasts, we will establish new hiking infrastructures at Mount Jali and Kanyinya Hill. The designs are set to be concluded very soon and some improvements will also be done,” he said. “We aim that those places should be in use by the time of CHOGM this year,” he added. These, he said will be complimented by existing spaces like Imbuga City Walk, in the Central Business District, Biryogo Car Free Zone and the soon to be launched Nyandungu Eco-tourism Park among others. The city also recently announced that it would close motorized traffic on Gisimenti’s main entertainment hub during weekends. Meanwhile, Mpabwanamaguru added that the city is mobilizing the local business community to ensure locally made products are showcased and get enough visibility during the week-long meeting. Among other preparations, the city vice mayor said that they have invested considerable efforts in road upgrading to foster urban mobility and public transportation during the meeting. “We have a number of roads that we are working on that we want completed by May to ensure that they are in use during the meeting,” he noted. Some of the roads mentioned by the Vice Mayor include Kabeza-Airport-Itunda-Busanza road, ALU campus road and Kacyiru US-Embassy-Kimicanga deviation road that is being expanded among others. It is said that the leaders’ summit will attract over 5,000 guests who will be expected in the country for CHOGM and the several meetings organized on its margins.
