[Editorial] Effective communication should be at the heart of every CoK decision

The City of Kigali has yielded to public outcry over the closure of the KBC roundabout that has left road users and businesses nursing inconvenience over the last three weeks. What had started as a reasonable traffic disruption over the African Union Summit in Kigali has turned sour for many a city dweller that commutes via Kigali Convention Centre en route to or from the city centre. Earlier, it was understandable. A major conference such as AU Summit was bound to see traffic disruptions. But with the conference done, city dwellers have been counting the cost, or so it appears. Surely, how would authorities expect the public to warm up to such future developments when they feel pessimistic about what would happen in the aftermath? Yet the answer to every problem is communication. In this case, all that was needed was a clear communication that would get all and sundry to understand why they are being compelled to make five to six diversions to get to a place they would previously need none whatsoever. A case in point is the new Kacyiru roundabout near the Dutch embassy. It has been closed to traffic approach from new bypass seeking to turn around it. Instead motorists are compelled to drive up to the UK High Commission and make awkward turns at a point conventionally would be better off restricted for U-turn. Few members of the public, if any, seem to know why the new roundabout does not allow motorists goes full 360 degrees around it. The City has said nothing. Police have said nothing. And the public is left with bile in their mouth in form of frustration. The City should appreciate that Kigali residents are their primary constituents. The residents deserve unrivalled service delivery. At the heart of this service should be the most effective communication exhausting all channels available to reach out to the lay man and the elites, those with modern gadgets and the unfortunate ones without. Only then can we expect Kigali dwellers to fully enjoy the fruits of developments around them, knowing well some inconveniences they have to put up with are just hiccups.

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[Editorial] Effective communication should be at the heart of every CoK decision