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.”

KIST 3 was constructed by Fair Construction, a locally owned construction firm that until recently dominated building contracts for the government. Its shareholders are said to be close allies of the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF).

The KIST 4 building was contracted by China Civil Construction Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a Chinese construction firm that has recently assumed a key role in Rwanda’s booming construction industry, particularly in government contracts.
A senior manager at the Chinese firm however downplayed the existence of cracks in the building.

“There are no cracks,” Wang Li the CCECC general manager, told Rwanda Today in an interview. “There is no evidence the building is collapsing.”

Mr Wang added: “The cracks are in the expansion joints, which is normal. These are not structural cracks.”

The contractor meanwhile alleged non-payment for the work, saying: “They [Ministry of Education] have even refused to pay our balance of $600,000 (Rwf406.8 million).”

A senior government official however said: “The government did not refuse to pay but the contractor failed to convince us of the necessity of this additional amount.”

The firm is associated with the construction of a number of highrise buildings in Kigali that include Kigali City Tower, which is arguably the tallest building in Rwanda, and RSSB Towers. It also constructed a new City Hall and another magnificent tower adjacent to Bank of Kigali belonging to city businessman Bertin Makuza.

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.

10-year guarantee

“If KIST 4 is cracking due to any of the above, the contractor will suffer the loss because the current procurement law provides for a 10-year guarantee and we are still covered,” said Mr Serubibi. “But the audit, which will begin soon, may give the structure a clean bill of health.

“Chinese funding is affordable and readily available,” observed a senior political commentator in Kigali. “In return, we seem to have decided to be less questioning about the quality of the projects they execute.”

Although government officials maintained that the procurement process was devoid of wrongdoing, they would not divulge the details.

In May last year, six people were killed and and a dozen others wounded when a four-storey structure collapsed in Nyagatare district, Eastern Province,. Structural errors were blamed for the incident.

Officials at RHA are now banking on the recently formed Institute of Engineers and increased vigilance in the enforcement of building standards to avoid a recurrence of such incidents.