Rwanda: WASAC Seeks New Contractor for Rubavu Waste Treatment Project

What the report says

WASAC Development Ltd is seeking a new contractor to finish a faecal sludge treatment plant and landfill project in Rubavu Town, western Rwanda, after ending the earlier contract because of poor performance, according to The New Times as republished by AllAfrica. The work is part of the Rwanda Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Programme and is financed by the African Development Bank.

The Rubavu project had been valued at Rwf4.1 billion and stalled after limited progress. The report says the contract was terminated on May 8, 2026, after an audit found that only 6.4% of the funds allocated in the 2025/26 fiscal year had been spent. WASAC has now opened a new procurement process and set aside about Rwf542.9 million in the 2026/27 budget to restart construction.

If completed, the facility is expected to treat faecal sludge and manage non-organic solid waste through a landfill, composting area and storage zones for recyclable materials such as plastics, glass and metals. WASAC says the works should take 16 calendar months once a new contractor is in place. The site visit is scheduled for September 30, with a pre-bid meeting on October 2 and bid submissions due October 27.

The report places the Rubavu project within a wider sanitation push in Rwanda, including similar waste-treatment and sewerage projects in Musanze, Karongi, Rusizi and Kigali. More broadly, such facilities are intended to improve public health, reduce environmental pollution and expand formal waste management infrastructure.