The City of Kigali ordered the temporary closure of 10 buildings and commercial facilities for failing to comply with fire safety standards.

The closures, announced on Wednesday, November 4, follow inspections that found the facilities below the required fire safety standards, according to an official notice.

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Among the affected facilities are Catchup Building Gisimenti, Agakiriro Gatenga, Agakiriro Gahanga, Rwanda Foam Showroom Gikondo, and KAL Plaza Gikondo and N&B Plaza in Kigarama.

Others are Eden Tower Nyarugenge, Matheus House Nyarugenge, Ntaganzwa House Nyarugenge and Ndaru Arcade Nyarugenge.

According to the city, the closures will take effect on Friday, November 6, at 7pm.

The move is part of ongoing fire safety inspections aimed at protecting lives and property, following fire outbreaks that have affected businesses in Kigali and other cities in the recent months.

Compliance key to reopening

According to the city's notice, the temporary closures are intended to allow the implementation of corrective measures needed to bring the buildings into compliance with established fire safety standards.

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The notice urged owners and managers of the affected properties to address the identified deficiencies without delay.

However, the city clarified that the closures would not necessarily be permanent, noting that facilities that meet the required safety standards would be authorised to reopen immediately.

Protecting lives and businesses

City officials said fire safety remains a critical consideration in the management of commercial buildings, where inadequate emergency preparedness can expose workers, customers, tenants and visitors to significant risks.

With Wednesday's announcement, the number of facilities ordered to close over fire safety concerns in Kigali has risen to 15 in two weeks.

On October 30, the city ordered the temporary closure of five facilities over failure to meet fire safety standards, in what it said was an effort to address safety concerns arising from non-compliance with fire safety requirements.

The affected facilities included Agakiriro in Kabuga, Umukindo Building and Comejoga in Gisozi, ASMMS Ltd in Kicukiro, and Gahoromani Market.

The latest directive comes amid a series of recent fire outbreaks in Kigali. These include a fire that gutted a building housing Sport Light Lounge bar in Kabeza on October 25, another at Gisozi Trading Centre, and a fire at wood workshops in Kicukiro District, which damaged several premises earlier this week.

It also comes less than a month after a fire gutted GOICO Plaza, the largest market in Musanze District on October 10, destroying goods worth more than Rwf24 billion, according officials.

Following the incident, vendors raised concerns over overcrowding, water shortages, limited access to firefighting equipment and expired fire safety gear.