The Kigali-Muhanga Road Expansion works are expected to commence in December 2025. These expansion works on the road will also feature an increase to four lanes from the current existing two lanes. Additionally, this project will also feature climbing lanes that will be instrumental in easing traffic. This information was revealed by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Olivier Kabera, on January 13th.
Furthermore, just to note, the minister issued this update at a session in which the committee of governance of the Lower House was doing an analysis on the report of the Office of Ombudsman for the financial year 2023/2024.
Kigali-Muhanga Road Expansion Project Factsheet
Start Date: December 2025
Completion Time: Estimated two and a half years
Budget: Approximately $100 million
Funding: Provided by the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda
Project Scope
Road Rehabilitation: 45 kilometers of the existing road will be repaired.
Road Expansion: 12.2 kilometers of the road will be expanded to four lanes.
Additional Lanes: 11.9 kilometers of additional lanes for heavy trucks in areas with ascents.
Infrastructure: Construction of two bridges, water channels, and public lighting along the road.
Significance of the Expansion
Traffic Congestion: Significant reduction in traffic congestion on this crucial route.
Economic Impact: Improved transport infrastructure to support trade and logistics between Kigali and Muhanga.
Urban Development: Enhances connectivity and supports the growth of Muhanga as a satellite city.
Loan Issued Details
Loan Amount: $120 million
Repayment Period: 40 years with a grace period of 15 years
Interest Rate: 0.01%
Project Components:
Rehabilitation: Repairing the existing road.
Expansion: Expanding the road to four lanes in high-traffic areas.
Also read: Four Multi-Billion Rwandan National Roads Projects Expropriation Works to Proceed
Moreover, Kabera mentioned that part of the road running from Nyabugogo in Kigali to Ruyenzi which is in Kamonyi District will be expanded to four lanes. He also added that there are parts of this road that will be incorporated with climbing lanes for trucks.
Furthermore, there will be incorporation of drains sidewalks for pedestrians and even the climbing lanes for trucks to ensure that they do not interfere with movement of other vehicles on ascents.
“Certainly, we seek to set up another lane on the road ascents. This lane will be used by trucks exclusively enabling us who use other cars to move faster,” The minister mentioned adding that this road expansion project will be inclusive of an expropriation to pave way for its execution.
Rwanda’s Parliament Approves the Project Funding
In the previous year on November 13th, the Parliament did approve a law that ratified $120 million-loan agreement for the upgrade of the Kigali-Muhanga road project.
Furthermore, this funding agreement was reached by the Rwandan government and the Export-Import Bank of Korea. The signing of this agreement was done on September 13, 2023 in Busan South Korea.
As revealed by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, this loan to the Rwandan government will be repaid within a period of 40 years. Furthermore, this loan will have an interest rate of 0.01 per cent and it supports the development of the infrastructure sector in the country.
Components of the Kigali-Muhanga Road Expansion Project
Lastly, the Kigali-Muhanga road upgrade project has a numbers of components. This comprises of rehabilitation works on the road at 45 kilometres and also the expansion of the road’s 12.2 kilometres to four lanes. As for now, the entire road has only two lanes.
Also read: $2 Billion Rwanda’s Bugesera Airport Operations Commencement Set at 2028
Additionally, this road project will be inclusive of the construction of up to 11.9 kilometres of additional lanes for the heavy trucks. This will be set up in areas where the road climbs so that the heavy trucks do not slow down traffic.
