New Police HQ building undergoes safety checks

Kabuga building said to be cracking KIGALI - Government is likely to lose approximately Rwf 800m should Ngasi Consulting Engineers, a Kenyan based structural and civil engineering firm, declare Kabuga building unfit for renovation. The Kenyan firm was recently contracted to make a structural analysis on the building located in Muhima, which is meant to house the Rwanda National Police head-quarters. Early last year, government officials spent Rwf 800m on works and materials to renovate the building without prior structural analysis. Structural analysis is commissioned on buildings before renovations to determine their structural integrity. The building in question used to belong to Felicien Kabuga, a 1994 Genocide fugitive alleged to have been a “financier” of the Genocide. “When renovation works were underway, we received information that the building was cracking. Apart from gaining no value for money, we would have been creating a disaster by going ahead with the renovations,” said Acting Commissioner General of Police, Mary Gahonzire. “I decided to halt the works and seek technical advice which is how the Infrastructure Ministry and the consultant came in.” The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Security, Penelope Kantarama said that her ministry halted delivery of other equipment meant for renovating the building. “Approximately Rwf 800m had been spent on works and materials. tonnes of cement and paint are stored at the police headquarters. We have allowed the police to use the paint on some of their projects,” she said. Strategically located along the Nyabugogo road, the seven-storied massive building has been lying idle for close to a decade. According to, Infrastructure Minister, Linda Bihire, the building required a structural audit before the renovations could begin given the time it had remained unused. “To invest more money in it, we first needed to know its structural integrity. If the building has defects, we will need to correct them. The audit assessment will take one month,” explained Bihire. Ends