HUYE - Infrastructure Minister, Vincent Karega, who is also charged by cabinet to oversee the development of Huye District, on Monday, began a two-day familiarisation tour of the district.

Talking to The New Times, Karega said that fast-tracking and fine tuning various infrastructural and other development programmes was high on the agenda of his visit.

"I need to see how urban development connects with the rural Huye so as to promote agriculture and trade activities and also uplift the face of the city where you see very old commercial buildings and residential areas,” he said.

Karega said that many infrastructure projects such as the rehabilitation of town roads were lagging behind, adding that the tour will enable him meet with contractors with a view of giving them new direction.

The Minister kicked off his tour by meeting members of the business community and the district leadership. He urged them to invest in development, facelift their commercial buildings and work with the authorities to devise innovative ideas for the development of the town.

"I am working with the district leadership and the business community to own the programmes and to put together progressive ideas that will help us to fast-track all these projects and the transformation we want,” he said.

After touring the town, Karega noted that the pace of development in the area has been very slow compared to other towns like Musanze, Nyagatare, Rwamagana and Muhanga.

"There must be a problem of mindset, a problem of being conservative, so we need to change that mindset and we need to put together all forces so as to achieve more,” Karega said.

Anastase Karayiga of ERGECO, the company contracted to rehabilitate 4.8km of roads in the Taba residential areas said that finding local casual labour has proved difficult.

"I am contemplating bringing in workers from the northern part of the country because people here do not want to work, they have a negative attitude towards work,” said
Karayiga.

Karega said that a second company will be contracted to help in speeding up road construction works that have lagged behind. He said that the rehabilitation of roads in the town centre will motivate business people who are hesitant to invest their money in the commercial development.

The minister’s tour of the district continues today where he is expected to visit the rural part of the district.

Ends