The Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) has announced that by September 2026, a contractor will have been selected to build the Kigali–Muhanga road, allowing construction works to begin immediately.
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Road Background
The road was last rehabilitated in 2000 and was designed to last 20 years, meaning it has already exceeded its lifespan by five years.
Parliamentary Oversight
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RTDA Director General Imena Munyampenda, while explaining issues raised in the Auditor General’s report for the fiscal year ending June 2025 to the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), said the delay of more than two years in starting construction was due to changes involving the donor supporting the project.
He noted: “We completed the feasibility study, the consultant is in place, […] the tender has been advertised and will be opened on August 11, so we can begin the journey of building the road. For now, we are carrying out some ongoing maintenance works.”
PAC Chairperson MP Muhahwa asked whether construction would begin in August 2026. Munyampenda clarified that August marks the opening of bids, with evaluation completed by September, after which a contractor will be ready to implement the project.
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He added, “That’s when contractors will submit their prices, and by September, the evaluation will be completed. MINECOFIN is still assisting us. We want to start the evaluation in August and submit the report, then request a quick response so that by September, we have a contractor ready to implement the project and begin work.”
Financing
In 2023, the Chamber of Deputies approved a draft law ratifying a loan agreement of USD 120,471,000 between the Government of Rwanda and the Export–Import Bank of Korea, to be used for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Kigali–Muhanga road.
Project Scope
The project includes expanding a 12.2 km section into four lanes. The road will consist of four sections, starting from Nyabugogo to Bishenyi, with the remaining parts divided into two lanes. Upon reaching Kivumu in Muhanga, the road will continue into Cyakabiri and extend into Muhanga town up to Kabgayi Hospital, where another four-lane section will be built.
