For Kibagabaga residents transport remains a problem

The newly developed residential area of Kibagabaga was bushy five years ago. With a good road network, beautiful furnished mansions and villas, the residents of Kibagabaga lament the lack of transport in their area. One has to either request for a lift or jump onto a motorbike to reach town. When it rains, people get stuck. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Oliver Uwase, Owner of New Life Saloon in Kibagabaga, narrates what she goes through when she wants to go to town to buy products for her saloon. “It has been two years since I moved from Gatsata. Kibagabaga is developing day by day but the transport system is still a challenge especially to locals who don’t have their own cars. However, the residents here are friendly, they offer lifts because they know how hard it is to get a motorbike or a taxi,” Uwase discloses. Besides owning a business in Kibagabaga, she is also a resident of Urumuri Village, Kibagabaga Cell, Kimironko Sector. “Kigali Bus Services used to have a few of their buses parking at the Kibagabaga Hospital but recently I don’t know what happened. It’s costly to board a motorbike (Taxi) to drop you in town or Kimironko market on a daily basis. We request the people involved to come to our rescue. I also pity people who have to go to work especially when it’s raining its disheartening reaching work when you’re all wet,” Uwase expresses her disappointment.The area is developed because it has different infrastructures such as a hospital, schools, offices and residential houses. “The other problem was lack of security lights, luckily poles for security lights have been put in place. In the earlier days people would be scared to walk at night but that has been resolved. Otherwise business is picking up day by day,” Uwase explains. According to Vioteur Bigirimana, a waiter at Iramiro Bar and Restaurant which is opposite Kibagabaga Hospital, if transport is boosted in the area, the businesses will gain momentum. “For instance the clients who eat at our restaurant are workers and patients from the hospital. As for the bar sections most of our clients are mostly residents because they walk home, if the transport system is improved, we can get clients from nearby villages,” Bigirimana explains. In a phone interview Charles Ngarambe, Chief Executive Officer, Kigali Bus Services the leading public transport operator in Kigali, said that his company usually offers two buses to cater for residents in Kibagabaga. “During the peak hours which are the morning hours, two buses head to Kibagabaga and they usually park at the Hospital. But if there is demand, our operations manager will look into the matter so that a solution is provided,” Ngarambe explained.