The refurbishment of the car-free zone in Kigali’s central business district is set to be complete by mid-July, Marie-Solange Muhirwa, the city’s Chief Urban Planner, has disclosed. Works to upgrade and rebrand the car-free day commenced in March this year. The process will give the place a new look, allowing in new activities and opportunities for residents in order to revive what is currently being seen as a “dead zone” Muhirwa told The New Times the area will be rebranded as Imbuga City Walk, and will be classified into three sections: high-street, city plaza, and city lounge. “The general idea is to change the car-free zone road into a public space with different services taking place there,” Muhirwa said. The first section starts from Ecole Belge de Kigali up to City Plaza will be called the high-street. It will comprise of commercial activities, fast food restaurants and places where people can sit and have a good time. There will also be children’s playgrounds and public toilets. The second section will be called City Plaza and will comprise of entertainment and cultural facilities, gaming centres, in addition to facilities where people will sit and watch different kinds of games like football matches, basketball, and more. According to city authorities, the third section is the city lounge. All sections will be equipped with free internet. The area was developed in 2015, and was supposed to be fully developed within three months but faced delays.
