KCC ‘unwraps’ city construction sites

• Bans fencing with iron sheets Kigali City Council (KCC) has banned the use of iron sheet coverings on construction sites in the city citing security concerns as the main cause of the ban. The directive which was issued by Kigali CC late last week took immediate effect and this saw a number of building sites being left in the open. Speaking to The New Times early this week, the Vice Mayor of Kigali City Council Jeanne d’ Arc Gakuba said that the action was taken after the sites had proved to be dens of criminals. “We decided to ban the use of iron sheets fencing after realizing that some of these sites had become home for dens for drug smokers and other criminal acts like robbery,” said Gakuba. She added that some owners of the sites have also been hiding their works from the public and yet some buildings have not been progressing with some developing shrubs around them paving way for criminals. According to the Minister of Infrastructure Eng. Linda Bihire, the covers have also been used by the owners as a way of hiding inactivity at the sites. “Some people have been using the chance to hide their inactivity and this will allow authorities to closely monitor what is going on at the sites, explained the minister. She warned those who fail to develop their plots within the accepted time saying that authorities will be forced to give away these plots to those who can develop them. Speaking to The New Times, Alex Niyomwungeri who was found at one of the sites in the city expressed concern over the ban saying that the iron sheets have been helping to shield construction materials from prying eyes of the thieves. On this issue, Gakuba said that they (Construction sites owners) had been advised to fence the sites with mesh wires to allow proper supervision from the authorities and that they could secure where they keep their building materials. However, some people have expressed discontent on the issue saying that the ban has not been uniformly executed some exceptions with some buildings still fenced with iron sheets. Ends

National

KCC ‘unwraps’ city construction sites