Construction of the Gasabo District’s new office complex at Gishushu, Kigali will be finalised by end next month, paving way for the relocation of the district’s operations by June, an official has toldThe New Times.

 Construction of the seven-storied building faced delays, in part, because of the cement shortage that hit the country last year, which also drove the cost of the project higher.

 Raymond Chretien Mberabahizi, the Gasabo District vice-mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development, said that construction works are now at the finishing phase.

Mberabahizi said they expect the first or provisional handover between the contractor and the client to be done in February.

It is during this provisional handover, he explained, that they will conduct an inspection of the premises to determine whether the contractor has any modifications to make and if there is none, start the process moving.

Mberabahizi said: "After this provisional handover clears the likelihood of any lacking issues we cannot exceed two months before relocating. The implication is that we shall have moved in between May and June.”

Last January, officials put the cost of the building at Rwf5.5 billion. The building was then expected to be complete by July 2017.

The delays, Mberabahizi said, had cost implications too.

Thus, he said, and the total cost of the building could now go up to between Rwf6 billion and Rwf7 billion.

"This is normal in construction as there are always those unforeseen factors.”

In addition to having a better and cleaner environment for people seeking services and members of staff, the new office block will have bigger and better space, better infrastructure, and be a centralised location for services in the district.

At the moment, the District’s head office is located in Kacyiru Sector, near the Ministry for Infrastructure.

 The plan is that the sector will occupy the vacated premises when Gasabo District eventually relocates to their new office.

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