The construction of a bus terminal in Rubavu town has been derailed by expropriation disputes between the constructors and some property owners that arose in the preliminary phase of the project. Last year, Rubavu District unveiled plans to build a Rwf8 billion bus park in the town centre. It was meant to be finalised within two years. However, one year down the road construction activities have not started. According to Anitha Mukamusoni, the Chief Financial Officer of Jali Investment Limited, some residents rejected the amount of money that was given to them as compensation for their property located in the area where the park will be developed. Jali Investment Limited is the company tasked to implement the project. “We carried out property evaluation and paid the residents, but some were not satisfied with the value. So they rejected our offer, and that’s fine because it is their right,” she said. According to sources, 12 property owners are supposed to be expropriated in order to pave the way for the project implementation. However, half of them rejected the money that was given to them saying that their properties were undervalued. One of the property owners who rejected offer said that: “I am not against the government’s development agenda but the district wanted to acquire our land for Rwf22,000 per meter square which is contrary to the law, because the law stipulates that one square metre in that area is equivalent Rwf38,000.” However, Olivier Rubagumya, the Rubavu District Executive Secretary, said the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak also played a role in the project delays. “Since the beginning of the year, the transport sector has not been working at full capacity because of Covid-19 restrictions. So banks were reluctant to fund public transport projects,” he said. However, he stated that construction activities are set to start in January 2022. The expected terminal will be on 15,000 square meters whereas the current one has a limited capacity and inadequate infrastructure, which often leads to overcrowding and other inconveniences to passengers and business operators. The multi-story bus station will have shops, a mall, a market, and offices for transport agencies. Rubavu is one of the six secondary cities, and is a major tourism district. The district, which borders DR Congo, also has one of Rwanda’s busiest borders.
