The Reserve Force has taken over the construction works of the Rwf2.4 billion Kigali Hospitality Management Institute after government terminated the contract with Roko Construction Ltd.

An official from Rwanda Polytechnic told The New Times that the contract with the previous contractor was terminated after the company failed to respect the project timelines.

The centre is expected to address poor service delivery in the hospitality sector and add impetus to Rwanda’s conference tourism bid. It is designed to offer diplomas in hospitality management where the skills shortage is widespread.

However, while its construction was supposed to start in 2015 and end a year after, it faced prolonged delays .

Officials said the stalling had been caused by Roko’s suspension of construction activities.

A Swiss-based hospitality school was to provide advisory and support services in establishing and operating the school for four years from 2016 to March 2019.

However, the school’s contract with the defunct Workforce Development Authority (WDA) expired in March 2019 following missed project deadlines.

WDA, which was overseeing the project was dissolved in July last year.

Moreover, Aimable Nsabimana, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Administration and Finance at Rwanda Polytechnic (RP) — which has since taken over the project’s implementation — said works resumed this month.

The project is expected to be completed in the next one year, he added.

"The money to complete the works is available since it has already been released,” he said without disclosing whether there were budget adjustments, given the loss suffered in previous transactions.

According to the Auditor General’s report for 2020/21, ate the time of the termination of the construction contract in October 2020, the government had paid Rwf2 billion, representing 84 per cent of the total budget.

The report indicates that equipment worth 513,286 Euros still lies idle since its delivery in 2018, increasing risks of theft, damage and becoming obsolete.