Kicukiro traders to relocate next month

Kicukiro District has set February 15 as the deadline for all traders in Kicukiro market, around a place best known as Kicukiro Centre, to have relocated to pave way for the construction of a modern commercial building.

Monday, January 16, 2012
The Kicukiro market has been ordered closed by district authorities to pave way for development of a modern shopping mall. The New Times / File.

Kicukiro District has set February 15 as the deadline for all traders in Kicukiro market, around a place best known as Kicukiro Centre, to have relocated to pave way for the construction of a modern commercial building.

The market occupants were previously scheduled to relocate to Kabeza market, last November, but Paul Jules Ndamage, the district mayor, said in an interview, that the investors who acquired the piece of land had not been ready to start the construction immediately.

"There was no need to rush to relocate the traders since those who acquired the land were not yet ready to use it. But they [investors] told us that they are waiting for the arrival of their construction materials to start the construction. We gave them [investors] February 15 as the deadline to have started the construction,” Ndamage said in a telephone interview.

The land occupied by the market was acquired by Kicukiro Investment Group, a group of local investors, to put up a shopping mall.

The group’s architectural design for the structure is also yet to be approved by the Kigali Construction One-Stop Centre.

The market accommodates about 200 traders, who are now set to relocate to Kabeza market.

"We have a new modern market in Kabeza, which can accommodate more than 1,000 vendors,” added Ndamage.

According to the district master plan, facilities along the Sonatube-Gahanga junction should have a minimum of four-storeys.

bosco.asiimwe@newtimes.co.rw