{"id":114820,"date":"2025-11-07T17:46:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T17:46:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/property-owners-await-clarity-on-kigali-junction-upgrade"},"modified":"2025-11-07T18:17:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:17:13","slug":"property-owners-await-clarity-on-kigali-junction-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/photo\/property-owners-await-clarity-on-kigali-junction-upgrade","title":{"rendered":"Property Owners Await Clarity on Kigali Junction Upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Property owners around the Chez Lando, Gishushu, and Sonatubes junctions which are set for major upgrades remain uncertain about whether their properties will be affected, a mini-survey by The New Times has found.<\/p>\n

The junction upgrades are part of the five-year Kigali Urban Transport Improvement (KUTI) Project, which aims to ease traffic flow in and around the capital.<\/p>\n

Chez Lando and Gishushu junctions are in Gasabo District, while Sonatubes is in Kicukiro District. Implementation is expected to start in the 2025\/26 fiscal year.<\/p>\n

Key designs and costs<\/b><\/p>\n

At Chez Lando, an underpass will be built to allow vehicles heading from Gishushu toward Kigali International Airport (Kanombe) to pass beneath the main road.<\/p>\n

According to the Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA)\u2019s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), the underpass will span 740 metres and cost an estimated $23.4 million.<\/p>\n

At Gishushu, a 500-metre flyover bridge will be built from Simba Supermarket, allowing buses on the current road to pass below. The estimated cost is $20.3 million.<\/p>\n

At Sonatubes, a 620-metre underpass tunnel will begin near the Ministry of Health offices and rise near the former University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies (UTB) building, at a cost of $26.3 million.<\/p>\n

Owners voice uncertainty<\/b><\/p>\n

When The New Times visited the three areas, most property owners said they had not received any official communication about possible expropriation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have not been informed whether the hotel property will be affected. We only heard on the radio that the junction will be upgraded,\u201d said Janvier Rwigamba, a representative of Chez Lando Hotel.<\/p>\n

Nearby, several other businesses\u2014including Ndoli Supermarket, Rubis petrol station, and the BSC building\u2014shared similar concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw the designs in the media, but we cannot interpret them. There has been no meeting to inform us,\u201d said Rodrigue Mucyo, manager at the Ndoli building.<\/p>\n

At Sonatubes, property owners expressed the same frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have not been informed whether our property might be affected,\u201d said Jean Marie Vianney Munyantore, one of the owners in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we knew when the building might be affected, we could plan early. Transparency is needed,\u201d added Gilbert Ndagijimana, a tailor renting nearby.<\/p>\n

Two officials at Classic Hotel, located near the Ministry of Health offices where the underpass will begin, said they had \u201cnot been informed of any changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the opposite side of the junction, Emmanuel Niyonsaba, manager of the former UTB building, said no property valuation or expropriation notice had been issued.<\/p>\n

The New Times reached out to the RTDA Director General and the City of Kigali spokesperson, but neither responded with details on potential expropriations.<\/p>\n

Tender issued for the upgrades<\/b><\/p>\n

According to a notice posted on RTDA\u2019s website on October 29, 2025, international construction and engineering firms have been invited to submit proposals for designing and building the three junction upgrades under a Design-and-Build (D&B) contract.<\/p>\n

The procurement will follow an Open Competitive Bidding (International) process.<\/p>\n

Environmental and social impact<\/b><\/p>\n

The ESIA for the KUTI Project, released in July 2024, covered seven junctions: Chez Lando, Gishushu, Gisozi, Kibagabaga, Kicukiro\/Sonatube, Rwandex, and Nyabugogo. Work will begin with Chez Lando, Gishushu, and Sonatubes.<\/p>\n

The report estimates that 664 individuals, classified as Project-Affected People (PAPs) could be impacted across all seven sites. Of these, 109 will be physically displaced, while 555 will be economically affected.<\/p>\n

A total of 63,527 square metres of land is expected to be acquired, valued at Rwf2.6 billion ($2 million). The estimated total compensation, including a 5% disturbance allowance as per the 2015 expropriation law, stands at Rwf24 billion ($18.3 million).<\/p>\n

A livelihood restoration budget of Rwf950.6 million ($725,000) has also been allocated to cover transition costs for displaced businesses, including six months\u2019 rent and the upgrading of modern selling points at Nyabugogo, Kibagabaga, and Sonatubes.<\/p>\n\r\n