The upgrade of the 25-kilometre Musanze–Cyanika road, a significant transport route linking Musanze District to Rwanda’s border with Uganda, is set to begin in the fiscal year 2025/26, according to the Director General of Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), Imena Munyampenda. Munyampenda provided the update on Wednesday, June 25, during the hearings on public resource management that the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. He was responding to queries raised by the Auditor General in his report tabled to Parliament in May. He acknowledged that the road, which has been undergoing frequent pothole repairs, is old as it was constructed in 1975 -- about 50 years ago. ALSO READ: Cyanika border post sees trade surge to Rwf27bn in 2024 Among other issues, the Auditor General’s report cited damaged roads and the associated maintenance costs. Munyampenda said RTDA was working with the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) on expanding and rehabilitating the road. ALSO READ: Govt to rehabilitate Cyanika road to boost regional trade He indicated that the government got funds for its upgrade, but did not disclose the amount. “If everything goes well, we can commit that by September we can start procurement of this process,” he said. Auditor General Alexis Kamuhire said that for old roads that are damaged, maintenance through repairs is not cost-effective, and called for the roads’ urgent revamp. Kamuhire appreciated the commitment from RTDA that the old and damaged roads that need urgent upgrade will be given priority starting from July, since the budget for that work is available.
