The newly upgraded Biryogo, Agatare, Kiyovu, and Rwampara informal settlements, as well as the newly created Biryogo car free zone in Nyarugenge District are among major achievements in economic development that were celebrated, on Friday 5 August by the City of Kigali as part of Umuganura celebrations. Umuganura is Rwanda’s version of thanksgiving, celebrated every first Friday of August since 2011 after being halted by colonialists in 1925. Researchers say it goes way back to the 11th century, when Gihanga Ngomijana reigned. The Umuganura celebration in Kigali City took place in the newly created Biryogo car free zone, located in the newly upgraded and among the four informal settlements that cost $10 million. “We are celebrating unity and working hard that has led us to different achievements such as the newly upgraded informal settlements. Biryogo area, among these, is a hub that was really in need of infrastructure to help boost businesses and spur economic development,” said Emmy Ngabonziza, the District Executive Administrator of Nyarugenge district. Agatare Upgrading Project which started in 2018 has overhauled informal settlements in Biryogo, Agatare, Kiyovu, and Rwampala areas that are said to host more than 83 per cent of the over 26,000 residents of Nyarugenge Sector in Nyarugenge District. The area is part of what is widely known as Nyamirambo suburb. The district that is inhabited by 220 people per hectare also serves as the Central Business District (CBD) where the slums are adjacent to. The project has been upgrading the settlements by setting up basic infrastructure such as water, roads, disaster control infrastructure, electricity and others to pave the way for residents to upgrade their houses and do businesses. So far, according to Kigali City’s report, 6.64 kilometres of roads with water channels and street lights have been constructed to facilitate 15,000 residents. At least 2.5 kilometres of drainages have been built to protect 2,000 residents from floods while 6.2 kilometres of pedestrian ways are to serve 3,000 residents in daily movements for businesses. The basic infrastructure is said to have increased traffic of clients and eased transport of goods while commercial buildings have also been revamped to help businesses. After the pilot phase, City of Kigali officials said that the project is going to be replicated in ten cells of Nyarugenge District, three cells of Kicukiro District and two cells of Gasabo District. Kigali Citys Vice Mayor in charge of Urbanisation and Infrastructure, Merard Mpabwanamaguru, said that the celebrated model that has upgraded such informal settlements will continue in other areas. “We are setting different infrastructure such as roads to ease doing business so that residents work hard towards self-reliance. We should work hard and together to find solutions to our socio-economic problems. We should join efforts to support the vulnerable as we celebrate Umuganura,” he said. Mpabwanamaguru pledged more investments in increasing decent housing in Kigali as well as other initiatives to improve welfare and economic status for vulnerable people. “Vulnerable families need to get capital to do small businesses. There are still street children and we should work together to find a solution to this problem in Kigali,” he said.
