Anger in DR Congo Over Decision to Award Contract for Presidential Palace to “Rwandan” Businessman
Support our newsroom by MAKING A CONTRIBUTION HERE
A decision by DR Congo minister for public works and infrastructure to award contract for refurbishment of one of the presidential palaces to contractor said to be Rwandan, has caused a political storm there.
The $7m (Rwf 6.5billion) contract has been awarded to B.K. ARCHITECTS BELGIUM S.A to refurbish the presidential palace located in Ngaliema commune in the capital Kinshasa. The company is owned by a supposed Rwandan national Bénoit Kanyandekwe Segatabazi.
The media in DRC is awash with outpouring of anger from different quarters ever since information about the contract leaked yesterday.
The parliamentary group of the UDPS, the party of DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, has threatened to file a censure motion against public works and infrastructure minister.
According to online data about the architectural company, it is based in Belgium and has operations in many countries in Africa and middle east. The company’s owner Bénoit Kanyandekwe Segatabazi, is reported have to studied architecture at the renowned Kinshasa School of Architecture.
UDPS party diehards, a party that forms the main group in the coalition that brought President Tshisekedi to power, say they will not sit by as some elements attempt to compromise the security of their leader. A presidential palace, they say, cannot be given to a foreigner especially from a country like Rwanda.
Contractor Kanyandekwe has not spoken publicly about the scandal, and government is yet to also comment on the issue.
