Demolition works have begun on buildings located along Prince House–Giporoso–Masaka road to make way for its expansion.
In areas around Prince House, SP Petrol Station, and KFC towards Giporoso, several structures on both sides of the road, including those in the “Come Again Bar" area are being pulled down.
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“Part of the Come Again Bar buildings, including the fence and outer section, has been demolished. We are using the remaining part,” a waiter told The New Times during a visit to the site on Friday afternoon.
Other buildings around Come Again Bar are also being demolished.
Remec Bicamumpaka, the Director of Administration and Finance at INADES, located in Remera Sector of Gasabo District — whose fence and one house on the compound were demolished — said the valuation of the properties had been successful and that they accepted the expropriation as fair.
“We are now waiting for the road upgrade as well. We appreciate it because the road will help modernise our area. It will also increase the value of our properties. The infrastructure is benefiting us, and we are happy with the developments,” he said.
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Maritha Mukamana, a resident of Kabeza Cell, Kanombe Sector in Kicukiro District, owns houses used for business operations.
She said she had been worried while waiting to know whether her properties would be valued.
“We are waiting for confirmation, as we have been informed there is a possibility of valuation, despite previously not appearing in the system. The wait is making us anxious. In the past, part of the property was expropriated, not for road construction but for drainage works under a separate project,” she said.
“Despite the delay in valuation and expropriation, we believe the new roads being built will benefit us by improving movement and helping to address the traffic jams we have been experiencing on the road to Masaka. We will be happy once they are completed,” she added.
Buildings in front of Hill Top Hotel on the left-hand side towards Masaka and Kanombe are also being demolished.
“One of the hotel buildings will also be demolished,” said Ephrem Munyakabanza, a worker involved in the demolition works.
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The New Times observed that one of the hotel’s houses near the road had been marked with a “demolition sign in red”.
Venuste Mutijimana, a worker at Adversity Motor Garage in front of Hill Top Hotel, told the reporter that the garage would not be completely demolished.
“We will not relocate because only a part of the garage buildings dedicated to the car wash will be demolished. We will continue to work,” he said.
Several other buildings in the area are also being pulled down.
Shops near the junctions connecting roads from Giporoso, Nyandungu, and Kanombe Airport were also marked with a “demolition sign in red”.
Part of a nearby bar, Impala-Resto Bar, has been demolished.
Some houses between Impala Bar and the former La Palisse Nyandungu, on both sides of the road, are also being demolished. One example is the building that housed Cup of Joy Coffee Shop, which is among those being pulled down.
The New Times could not establish whether petrol stations such as SP, located close to the road, would be relocated.
Officials from SP did not respond when contacted.
When contacted, city and REMA officials also did not clarify whether Nyandungu Eco-Park would be affected by the road expansion. The park is located very close to the section of the road that will be expanded to four lanes.
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The Executive Administrator of Kicukiro District, Antoine Mutsinzi, earlier told the media that demolition of properties belonging to residents who have already received compensation had begun.
He said: “Some residents have been compensated, and we have begun removing their properties. In Kicukiro, there are 72 properties whose owners have been paid, and demolition has already commenced.”
The valuation of properties to be affected by the Prince House–Giporoso–Masaka road upgrade began in May 2025.
Property owners were urged to consult the list of affected properties at the offices of their respective sectors — Nyarugunga, Kanombe, and Niboye in Kicukiro District, and Rusororo, Ndera, and Remera sectors in Gasabo District.
The government has earmarked over Rwf16 billion to fund the project to upgrade the 10-kilometre Prince House–Giporoso–Masaka road in the 2025/26 fiscal year, according to information from the Ministry of Infrastructure.
The upgrade includes expanding the road from two to four lanes and constructing a flyover on a section of the highway. These measures aim to help alleviate increasing traffic congestion, officials said.
The total budget for the project is 437.12 million Chinese Yuan — approximately US$60.5 million or Rwf86 billion — according to the ministry.
The project will be financed by China and is expected to be completed in July 2028, as per information presented by the Ministry of Infrastructure during the 2025/26 budget hearings in Parliament on 12 May.
“We expect to begin actual construction works in January next year [2026],” said Imena Munyampenda, the Director General of the Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA).
In January, Munyampenda told The New Times that the 1.2-kilometre flyover will be constructed on the section of the road between Prince House and the area known as Ku cya Mitsingi.
Once completed, it is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion in the areas of Giporoso, Kanombe, and Masaka.
