The new face of Kayonza town

Most rural towns in Eastern Province were, just a few years ago, characterised by old buildings that look every year of their age. Today, new buildings have emerged giving a total different appearance.Giving a facelift to old buildings has paved way to improve existing properties as well as their neighborhoods. Such facelifts can be mainly seen in the town of Kayonza situated right at the heart of the Province. The new towns’ buildings and the general beautification catches the eye of a stranger.The clean-up exercise and beautification come at a time when business operators, tourism interests and other stakeholders have been highly critical of the deplorable state of streets, drains and potholes in the town.The district top leadership is committed more than ever to give the town a new face.Kayonza is not only strategically located, but also blessed with vast riches including the popular Akagera National Park.Famous for its vast herds of animals, Akagera Park provides natural enclosure for animals in an environment of great natural beauty.Despite being at the point of travel and tourism in the country, the district in the past struggled with a limited supply of travel accommodation facilities.However, this problem is being addressed with hotels that meet international standards rapidly increasing. Hotels are receiving a boost as new international luxury hotels are being built or refurbished.It is expected that these new hotels will be able to cater for the increasing number of visitors travelling to or through the district. Growth in hotel revenues will also be essential in increasing the district’s earnings and thereby enhancing development.Several business operators, among them Richard Kaberuka, who witnessed the clean-up program, commended the new leaders in the district for the initiative.“It is a well-needed facelift. For too long, authorities turned a blind eye on the filthy conditions along the various streets in Kayonza. It is the first step in restoring beauty to the town, and it is important to us as business operators to partner with the district’s administrators in ensuring that work is continued.”Kayonza residents say they are bringing the bursting small town, in the vicinity of rural villages, at par with the other bigger towns.Emmanuel Atamba, a businessman in the town notes that in modern times, the way people spent their vacations has undergone a great change. People spend times with family and friends while at the same time exploring various tourist places.“As a result of the tourism industry demands, we have seen an unprecedented growth which in turn has also resulted in tremendous growth in the hotel and accommodation facilities. Days are gone when tourists never slept in Kayonza,” he notes.Boniface Ntirenganya, the Director Planning in the Province, says the comfortable hotels and accommodation facilities play a very important role in popularizing any tourist destination. “If a person, who is far away from home, gets to enjoy the same facilities and comforts as he enjoys at his home, then he is bound to become attached to the place. On the other hand, if the tourist ends up at a place where the hotels and accommodation facilities are not satisfactory, it is quite likely that he might never return,” he observes.