The City of Kigali has said construction under the delayed Kigali Infrastructure Project (KIP) is expected to resume within the next three months, with officials assuring lawmakers that funding is available and the process of procuring a new contractor is nearing completion. The commitment was made on Thursday, July 2, as city officials appeared before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to respond to findings in the Auditor General's report for the 2024/2025 financial year. ALSO READ: City of Kigali vows to fast-track major road project after budget constraints MP Liliane Umutesi, citing the audit findings, said progress on the 215.5-kilometre road project remained significantly behind schedule despite having been launched under a pre-financing arrangement in 2020. She noted that overall physical progress stood at just 27 per cent, while the second and third phases had reached only about 10 per cent. ALSO READ: Prime Minister Ngirente says Kigali Infrastructure Project revived Responding to the concerns, Kigali Vice Mayor in charge of Infrastructure Fulgence Dusabimana said the city had terminated the previous contractors’ agreement because of delays and is now finalising the process of replacing them. We are in the final stages of getting another contractor,” he told the lawmakers. “We expect to have the contractor on board at the beginning of this new fiscal year, he added, noting that funds are available, and within three months the city administration expects construction activities to have resumed. ALSO READ: Kigali: Contractor, budget woes delay key infrastructure projects According to the Auditor General's report, the City of Kigali signed a 10 year pre financing agreement worth more than $404 million in May 2020, to construct 215.5 kilometres of roads under KIP. The project was planned to be implemented in six phases and completed by April 2025. However, the audit found that by the time of the review, only 27 per cent of the planned works had been completed. City Manager Stella Kabahire attributed the delays to both funding constraints and the poor performance of the contractor. She explained that although the city had planned to construct the entire 215.5 kilometre road network, it secured only 58 per cent of the financing required for the project. We also faced challenges with the contractor, who delayed the works. We eventually terminated the contract, Kabahire said. She said construction would continue once the new contractor is appointed.
