Kigali Centralized Sewerage System Construction Set to Begin in June

 The meeting brought together representatives from various institutions involved in the initiative, aiming to ensure all stakeholders are fully prepared ahead of the construction start, scheduled for June 2025.

The primary goal of the meeting was to provide progress updates and ensure institutional readiness for project implementation. Officials emphasized the need for stakeholder coordination, as the construction phase may involve temporary road closures and potential relocation of residents in areas where wastewater transport networks will be installed.

The project’s first phase will establish a 92-kilometre wastewater network serving parts of Nyarugenge District specifically the sectors of Nyarugenge, Muhima and Gitega. This network will transport wastewater to a treatment plant that will be built in the Giticyinyoni area. It is expected to handle waste from around 208,000 households.

Once operational, the Giticyinyoni wastewater treatment plant will process up to 12,000 cubic metres of liquid waste per day. Treated water will be safely released into the environment, while sludge by-products will be repurposed into organic fertilizers and energy.

The first phase of the project carries a price tag of over €96 million (approximately Rwf154 billion). Funding for this stage has already been secured, and it is expected to significantly enhance sanitation in Kigali’s Central Business District (CBD).

The sewerage system project, initially slated for commencement in June 2019, faced delays due to challenges such as the lack of a contractor. It forms part of a larger initiative to divide Kigali into three major sewage catchment zones: Nyarugenge, Gasabo and Kicukiro.

Feasibility studies have been completed for the Gasabo system, which will serve neighborhoods like Gacuriro, Kagugu, Nyarutarama, Kibagabaga, Kinyinya, Remera, and Kimihurura, among others. Its treatment plant will be located in the Karuruma area. Meanwhile, studies for the Kicukiro system are ongoing. This system will serve areas including parts of Remera, Kimironko, the industrial park, Masaka, and Gikondo, directing wastewater toward treatment facilities in the Kanombe and Masaka wetland regions.

With work now back on track, the Kigali Centralized Sewerage System project represents a major leap forward in urban infrastructure and environmental sustainability for Rwanda’s capital city.