NEWS
Rwanda govt procurement in question as college block faces collapse
A multistorey block at the University of Rwanda College of Science and Technology, formerly KIST, which was abandoned after it developed cracks. Photo/Cyril Ndegeya
Posted Saturday, May 24 2014 at 14:45
IN SUMMARY
- The cracks forced the university authorities to vacate students and staff this month for safety reasons; the block is now undergoing a structural audit to determine the root cause of the problem.
- The building is valued at Rwf5 billion and its construction was jointly funded by the government of Rwanda and the AfDB at a shared basis of 40 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.
- Government and private engineers say cracks in a building may be a result of errors in the differential settlement or foundation, tectonic movements, error in design, structure failing to stand the load applied to it or poor workmanship and quality of materials, among other things.
A multistorey block at the University of Rwanda College of Science and Technology, formerly the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), is out of bounds after it developed cracks in what appears to be a structural failure, Rwanda Today has learnt.
While the exact cause of the cracks is yet to be established, sources familiar with the building said the problems emerged immediately after it was inaugurated by President Paul Kagame in 2011.
The cracks forced the university authorities to vacate students and staff this month for safety reasons; the block is now undergoing a structural audit to determine the root cause of the problem.
The building, commonly known as KIST 4, is valued at Rwf5 billion and its construction was jointly funded by the government of Rwanda and the African Development Bank (AfDB) at a shared basis of 40 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively.
It is home to 36 laboratories of science, making it a strategic asset of the college.
Prof Manasse Mbonye, the UoR College of Science and Technology principal, told Rwanda Today that the university management closed the building for precautionary reasons pending a structural audit.
"When I came in, some few months ago, I was told KIST 4 had problems… I raised the matter with the minister, who did not want to take chances as well," Prof Mbonye said in an interview. "The decision to close down the building pending an expert's report was taken because the cracks were widening."
Prof Mbonye's arguments were supported by Edward Ruvuzabigwi, the co-ordinator of the Support to Science and Technology Skills Development Project, which is funded by AfDB and overseen by the Ministry of Education. The ministry is the client while the college is the end user.
The Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA), which manages government houses, was set up in 2011, when the building was already in use.
Students say the relocations have not bothered them much since they are in the middle of examinations and rarely need the laboratories, though they were worried about the inconvenience when they resume classes next semester.
Rapid expansion
Having been founded in 1997, the Kigali-based college is a young institution. In recent years, it has experienced rapid expansion due to government and donor generosity under the leadership of its former long-serving rector, the current Infrastructure Minister, Prof Silas Lwakabamba.
But senior government officials have in the past privately expressed concerns over how procurement for construction services was concluded and how construction was supervised, saying the anxiety to fix infrastructure shortages at the college could have compromised quality.
"It is not KIST 4 that has issues alone; KIST 3, too, had problems and a consultant had to be hired to do an audit… the report said the problems were minor," a government official told Rwanda Today on condition of anonymity.
Eric Serubibi, head of government assets division at RHA, confirmed the claims, saying in a separate interview: "Yes, an audit was carried out on KIST 3 but the block was found to be fine."
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