Street naming should at least cover the city

Streets having names is a culture that has in parts of the world simplified many social-economic life of nationals. This is through simple address as in conducting business either in forms of advertising location of the business or movement from one destination to another in areas where someone may not be well versed with. Allen a Rwandan clearly narrates how he failed to direct and explain to a foreign friend who wanted to reach the Ministry of Finance, citing nameless streets in the city has the route cause. With her explanation, she knew where the Ministry is located, but the only way was to direct her friend by the help of other nearby offices. However, being that the friend had just come into the country, it was not possible at all. “I thought of directing him by the help of Kigali City Council (KCC) which headquarters are just opposite the Ministry or after BCR commercial bank, but neither did he know where KCC is located nor BCR, but he insisted on knowing the name of the street where the Ministry is located,” Allen said. She added that it would have been easy when the fellow was to use a motto-cycle, but he never because he was interested in moving around so as to witness development activities and discovering more being one of his motive of the visit to Rwanda. “Although my friend did not say it out, I realized the doubt of my staying in Kigali for the last ten years, as she kept on asking if I really stay in Kigali,” she noted. Sincerely, not only that particular street has no post showing its name, but a number of them do not have designs for identification. This is some thing that gives some visitors hard time to easily get to different parts of the country. Further more, the community should as well enjoy development steps in line with others in the region, as naming streets will help to boost and prove a sign of development of infrastructure. However, when contacted Jean Claude Rurangwa, in charge of Public Transport and Sign Post at Kigali City Council, he said that the council is quite aware of the problem and strategies are being set to name the streets. “Kigali City Council has set a project, Road Naming Project that will ensure that these roads will be named according to how they have been developed,” Rurangwa said. According to Rurangwa, KCC has a draft of names that the streets will acquire, but it awaits approval from the Ministry of Infrastructure. “We are waiting for the Infrastructure Ministry to approve the draft and we deal with naming the streets immediately,” he said claiming that the old law could not be used to name the streets. Based on his explanation, as different roads have been developed; in that case therefore, he said that some are fit to be called streets, avenues while others are boulevards. “Streets are those connecting sectors, avenues connect districts while boulevards connect provinces and neighboring countries,” he said adding that the traffic capacity of the road will also determine its mark. However, he said that some roads have names and other major ones have already been approved, pointing out one from KBC round about to Kanombe as International Boulevard and one from Prince House to the main round about in the city as African Union Boulevard. In such a situation, a business man operating at Kwa-rubangura building however insisted he does not know the name of the street where he operates from. He added that directing a customer who does not understand Kinya-rwanda is a problem. “The word Kwa-rubangura locally means at Rubanguras` place. Therefore it is a problem to those who do not understand the language, yet we are already in the East African Community,” he noted. In this case therefore, I must say that developments that have been attained should be appreciated, but also take serious note of what should be done mainly basing on its negative effects to the community alongside hindrance to national development in rhyming with regional standards. Ends