Residents of Nkombo Island in Rusizi District have received a new boat that will carry passengers and cargo, easing travel between the island and the mainland after an older vessel stopped operating.
The boat, handed over on Wednesday, Sept. 16, can carry 51 seated passengers and up to five tonnes of cargo. It is valued at nearly 500 million Rwandan francs, according to Rusizi District officials.
The new vessel is expected to make travel easier in different weather conditions while helping traders transport goods to and from the island more safely.
Alfred Habimana, Rusizi’s deputy mayor in charge of economic development, said the boat was procured through a tender issued by the Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) and that fares would remain affordable.
The cost of a trip to Kamembe has been reduced by 500 francs from what residents previously paid, Habimana said.
“This boat is here to help solve the difficulties residents faced when crossing,” he said. “Even when it rains or the sun is shining, they will be able to travel because it is covered and in good condition.”
Residents previously relied on wooden boats, which traders said made transporting goods particularly difficult during the rainy season.
One Nkombo resident said rain sometimes damaged goods or prevented traders from bringing supplies to the island.
The government provided Nkombo with another modern boat in October 2020. That vessel could carry 30 passengers and three tonnes of cargo but later developed problems and stopped operating, prompting plans for a replacement.
Habimana urged residents to protect the new boat and other public infrastructure provided to them.
