Kigali residents are poised to benefit from an ambitious plan to upgrade key informal settlements, a priority outlined in the newly launched Citizen Guide to Budget.
The guide is a simplified booklet designed to help Rwandans understand how public funds are planned and spent, promoting transparency, accountability, and active citizen participation.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning rolled out the nationwide distribution of the guide on August 12 at the City of Kigali Hall in Nyarugenge District, with copies available across all districts, sectors, cells, and villages.
The guide breaks down the Rwf7 trillion national budget for the 2025/26 fiscal year into accessible language, enabling citizens to see how their priorities are reflected in government spending.
In Rwezamenyo Sector, where residents have long called for improvements to their informal settlement, Executive Secretary Marie Rose Nirere said the guide will give citizens the tools to monitor progress and understand their role in implementation.
She also highlighted the pressing need for additional infrastructure such as schools, health centers, and roads.
Under the Rwf92 billion Kigali Informal Settlement Upgrading Project (KISUP), the city will modernize 230 hectares of informal settlements in Kagugu, Gasabo District, and Rwezamenyo, Nyarugenge District.
The project, due for completion by July 2029, will transform these areas with paved access roads, footpaths, storm water drainage, upgraded water supply, street lighting, and enhanced social amenities.
Planned facilities include schools, health posts, markets, early childhood development centers, sports grounds, libraries, and community halls. For 2025/26 alone, Rwf20.4 billion has been allocated, though an additional Rwf9 billion is needed for expropriation compensation.
Kigali will also benefit from the World Bank–funded Rwanda Urban Development Project II (RUDP II), which will upgrade four additional informal settlements including Mpazi in Nyarugenge, Nyabisindu and Nyagatovu in Gasabo, and Gatenga in Kicukiro.
Nyarugenge district Executive Administrator Alexis Ingangare said the guide ensures residents can directly track how their needs, such as road rehabilitation and the planned upgrade of the Mageragere Genocide Memorial, are being addressed.
The Citizen Guide to Budget also reveals that Rwf15 billion has been earmarked for the Kigali Infrastructure Project (KIP), which has been upgrading about 215 kilometres of roads since its launch in 2020.
A further Rwf1.1 billion will support neighborhood road construction under a cost-sharing model with residents.
Compensation for expropriations is also detailed, including Rwf3.439 billion for properties affected by the Parklane Project in Kimihurura, Rwf1.177 billion for the Green Hills, Kibagabaga road, and Rwf462 million to provide shelter for vulnerable genocide survivors.
Fred Manzi Mukombozi, Director-General for Budget Management and Reporting at the finance ministry, said the guide will strengthen public ownership of budget execution, citing citizen engagement in budgeting a fundamental right that must be upheld.
