June 11, 2025 – After responding to a current affairs question from elected representative Guylain POHUNGU MALAMBA on Wednesday, June 4, regarding the campaign to demolish illegal structures in the capital, the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, Alain TSHILUNGU, again addressed the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly this Wednesday, June 11.

During a continuation plenary session, presided over by the Vice-President of the Provincial Assembly, Germaine TSHINYAMA— in the absence of President Lévi MBUTA, who was away—this member of Governor Daniel BUMBA’s team responded to the concerns of the provincial elected representatives. He notably addressed the mapping of the areas involved, the scheduling and outlook of the operation, summarizing over 40 questions into 10 main categories.

Alain TSHILUNGU engaged in an educational explanation by defining the concept of illegal construction. According to him, demolitions in the city follow a well-defined schedule.

“Illegal constructions are those that do not comply with urban planning standards. Inappropriate constructions are those that are architecturally correct but built in unsuitable or undefined areas. The demolition operations we are carrying out follow a specific program.”

The interventions are based on urgency and environmental impacts. On this basis, we examined the root causes of road deterioration and identified several sites. We prioritized certain areas where immediate action was needed to clear riverbanks and riverbeds, thereby preventing floods,” the Minister said.

One of the triggers for this campaign was the recent April floods, which claimed the lives of over 60 residents of Kinshasa. Among the affected neighborhoods is Ndanu. The Minister was straight: this area is flood-prone, and it is imperative to relocate the population. He also emphasized that the riverbank embankment project is ineffective.

Demolitions began from Kintambo Station to Ngaliema Bay, passing through Avenue Mapenza and Avenue de la Paix. The authorities are particularly targeting areas around Kintambo Hospital along the Makelele River. “Today, illegal constructions account for 80% of the flooding in the city of Kinshasa,” the Minister stated. “In our campaign, we are currently working in Ngaliema Bay, but next we will move behind Kintambo Hospital, past Ndaya Avenue. This area has been flood-prone for many years, and it is well known. The flooding you are witnessing today on OUA Avenue is because the Makelele River can no longer flow freely,” the Minister explained.

The ongoing demolitions are legally grounded, among other provisions, in Ordinance-Law No. 73-021 of July 20, 1973, on the general regime of property, land, and real estate, as well as in Interministerial Decree No. 0021 of October 29, 1993. The main objective is to reclaim public land, riverbanks, and riverbeds, with a vision of making Kinshasa a more livable city, in line with Governor Bumba’s action program, “Kinshasa Ezo Bonga.”

Communication Unit – Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (MINITP-Kinshasa)

Kinshasa, June 3, 2025 – The Provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works of the City of Kinshasa, Alain Tshilungu, responded on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, to a current affairs question posed by elected representative Guylain MALAMBA. The aim was to inform both the provincial assembly and the national public about the ongoing demolition operation in the capital.

However, following the Minister’s initial responses, it was decided—according to the rules of procedure of the Provincial Assembly, which limit plenary sessions on current affairs questions to three hours—that the remainder of the session would be postponed to Wednesday, June 11, 2025. On that date, the Minister is expected to address the numerous concerns raised by the elected representatives.

Provincial elected representative Guylain MALAMBA sought further clarification on this matter of critical importance for the residents of Kinshasa. “I decided to pose this current affairs question to obtain clear answers and the necessary guarantees from the provincial

government, to ensure that the demolition of others’ constructions does not become a legal nightmare for the city of Kinshasa…,” stated the elected representative Guylain POHUNGU MALAMBA.

At the opening of the plenary session, the President of the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly emphasized the need for the elected representatives to remain focused on the subject during the discussions.

Speaking before the Assembly, Provincial Minister Alain TSHILUNGU first defined the concept of illegal construction. According to him, these are buildings or structures erected without adhering to urban planning regulations, without a building permit, and

without meeting safety and quality standards. Such constructions often violate property rights.

This situation is one of the major causes of the recurring floods in Kinshasa, stated the Minister. He recalled the damage caused by the rains since 2018, particularly those of April 2025, which left 70 dead, nearly 10 people missing, and more than 150 injured, according to the report presented at the 39ᵗʰ meeting of the Central Government’s Council of Ministers, held on April 11, 2025.

The Minister pointed to what he described as “poverty urbanism” as the root cause of this proliferation of illegal constructions. Acting on the instruction of President Félix Tshisekedi and in collaboration with the Central Government, the Bumba Administration  through the Provincial Ministries of Infrastructure and Environment, launched a large-scale operation to demolish all unauthorized constructions.

This campaign has the following main objectives:

• To free up public spaces, such as drains, rivers, and roads;
• To prevent natural disasters and loss of life;
• To restore the authority of the State in matters of urban planning.

The campaign is grounded in several legal texts, including Ordinance-Law No. 73-021 of July 20, 1973, which governs the general regime of property, land, and real estate; Interministerial Decree No. 0021 of October 29, 1993; Ordinance-Law No. 74-148 of July 2, 1974, commonly known as the “Land Law”; and Interministerial Decrees No.

0027/CAB/MIN-ETAT/AFF.FONC/ABM/2025 and No. 012/CAB/MIN-UH/CMP/MHN/2025 of February 27, 2025, which established a framework for coordination.

Minister Alain Tshilungu called on all members of parliament to engage in genuine collaboration to make Kinshasa an orderly city, where the lives of its citizens are safeguarded.

Following his intervention, the provincial elected representatives made several recommendations, including the involvement of elected officials from the affected sites prior to any demolition operation, the intensification of communication and public awareness efforts, and the granting of reasonable notice before any demolition action.

A new meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, 2025, to continue the plenary session, during which the Minister will address any outstanding concerns.

Communication Unit – Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (MINITP-Kinshasa)

The Provincial Government of the City-Province of Kinshasa remains steadfast in its determination to combat unauthorized constructions wherever they are found in the capital of the DRC. On Thursday, May 8, 2025, acting on the instructions of the city’s Governor, Daniel Bumba Lubaki, several illegal constructions were demolished on Avenue Mapenza in Ngaliema municipality, not far from the Malebo Hotel.

From the early hours of the morning, the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, Alain Tshilungu, accompanied by his counterpart from the Environment, Léon Mulumba, supervised the operation. Heavy machinery mobilized for the occasion began by demolishing three houses built on the Mayi ya Ntaba River and will continue up to Mont Fleuri. The images are distressing, showing the extent to which some citizens flout the laws of the Republic.

Since November 2024, the owners of these buildings had been formally notified by the Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works. However, no response had been recorded from their side.

For Minister Alain Tshilungu, it is the government’s duty to prevent flooding in Kinshasa by eliminating unauthorized constructions, thereby ensuring the city’s sanitation. On this occasion, he delivered a strong message to all residents of Kinshasa, urging them “to stop buying plots of land on railway tracks, near, or along riverbanks, in order to protect our homes and roads,” stated the head of the City of Kinshasa’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works.

The demolition operation on Avenue Mapenza is expected to target several dozen illegally built houses. It adds to similar operations already carried out in the ONATRA compound in Kintambo Magasin, as well as at rond-point Kabambare in Barumbu municipality, Bon Marché neighborhood. The road ahead remains long, but the determination of City Hall appears unwavering.

Communication Unit – Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (MINITP-Kinshasa)

Residents of the neighborhood awoke early this Friday morning, surprised by the noise of heavy machinery deployed on the site to demolish all structures built on this area, in accordance with the instructions of the urban authority. This operation, which began from Kintambo Magasin to the ONATRA station, sends a clear message from the provincial executive to all those illegally occupying public spaces: they are now subject to the full force of the law.

On site, the Provincial Ministers in charge of Infrastructure and Public Works, Alain TSHILUNGU, and of Environment, Cleanliness, and City Beautification, Léon MULUMBA, were present. They took the opportunity to call on anyone who has built on public land to comply with legal requirements.

In addition to its illegal construction, the cercle Bimwala had been built on a major drainage channel, whose blockage caused recurring floods in this part of the city. For this reason, the residents of the Bon Marché neighborhood welcomed Governor Daniel Bumba’s decision, which is part of his action program, “Kinshasa Ezo Bonga.”

Kinshasa, April 3, 2025 | The Provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, Alain TSHILUNGU, conducted an inspection in Selembao municipality on Thursday, April 3, 2025, with a view to constructing new roads to improve traffic flow in the municipality. He was accompanied by the Honorable NTUENE MUSILUEYI Mao, a provincial elected representative from this municipality.

It was in the early hours of the morning, under heavy rain, that the two officials, Provincial Minister Alain TSHILUNGU and elected representative Mao NTUENE, began their visit on Avenue Manifeste at its intersection with Avenue Birmanie. The latter has been prioritized for the construction of a new road, starting from this intersection and extending to Avenue de la Libération towards Kitokimosi.

In-depth studies must be conducted prior to these works, which aim to ease congestion on Avenue de Libération, where traffic jams are common during peak hours. During this inspection, the Provincial Minister identified several challenges, including the passage of REGIDESO (Water Distribution Authority) pipelines, structures of SNEL (National Electricity Company) station, as well as unauthorized constructions.

The elected representative Mao NTUENE pledged to lead an awareness campaign to ensure that public spaces are cleared so that the works can take place. He also expressed his satisfaction with the availability of Minister Alain TSHILUNGU, who personally visited his constituency to address the needs and expectations of the Selembao population.

During discussions along the way with the elected represntative, the Minister emphasized the need to focus on sites where the works are feasible. This visit by the member of the Provincial Executive, led by Governor Daniel Bumba, was also a source of satisfaction for the residents of Selembao, who called for the swift realization of the promised roads.

Communication Unit of the Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works

The rehabilitation of Libération Avenue (formerly 24 novembre), starting from Bandalungwa municipality (rond-point Moulaert) with reinforced concrete gutters, up to the terminus of the Université Pédagogique Nationale (UPN) in Ngaliema municipality, is currently underway.

Covering a total length of 8.5 km for the section concerned by the works, this avenue will be rehabilitated along three segments:

• From Rond-point Moulaert to Kimbondo
• From Kimbondo to Selembao (service station Engen)
• From Selembao (service station Engen) to UPN.

On the first axis, which will feature a flexible pavement (length: 414 meters), the work hasn’t started yet. Priority was, in fact, given to the second axis, which will feature reinforced concrete (Kimbondo – Selembao), as it was the most problematic due to highly degraded condition of the road. In this context, work is currently being executed on the axis between Kimbondo and the Bambole stop (length: 600 meters). This second axis

will receive a reinforced concrete wearing course, with a thickness of 20 cm. To date, 70 meters of reinforced concrete drains have already been constructed.

It is important to note that this road connects and crosses five municipalities: Bandalungwa, Ngiri-Ngiri, Selembao, Bumbu, and Ngaliema. Scheduled to last 12 months and launched in February 2025, the works are being carried out by the company Malta Forest.

Some challenges have been encountered, including the occasional passage of people and vehicles on the construction site, particularly motorcycles, underground electrical cables and water distribution pipes, as well as advertising billboards installed along the road.

As the project owner, the City of Kinshasa oversees the works through the Public Works Unit of the Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (Kinshasa • Infrastructure and Public Works).

Kinshasa, February 26, 2025 | Acting on the instructions of the Governor of the City-Province of Kinshasa, Daniel BUMBA LUBAKI, the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works, Alain TSHILUNGU, conducted an inspection visit of the construction works for the new Central Market, commonly known as Zando. The Minister assessed the site firsthand and noted that the physical progress of the project has now reached 99%.

The stalls, shops, stores, large warehouses, cold rooms, and spaces reserved for food vendors, all areas of the new Central Market in Kinshasa were visited by Minister Alain TSHILUNGU, following the instructions of the Governor of the City-Province of Kinshasa. Acting as a hands-on technical expert, he asked all possible questions to the developer of the site, SOGEMA, through its representatives.

The new Central Market of Kinshasa covers 4 hectares over a total area of more than 90,000 m² spread across several levels, featuring 10 km of stalls, providing 10,000 spaces for retail vendors. It also includes 600 shops ranging from 12 m² to 200 m², 272 sanitary facilities (for men, women, and persons with disabilities), a dispensary, a pharmacy, premises for the police, facilities for civil protection, 5,000 m³ of cold storage, a 1,500 m² warehouse with a height of 7 meters, a waste management facility, 2 generators, and a water tank. It is these technical features that distinguish the new Central Market from the old one.

It is true that the construction of the Central Market of Kinshasa is 99% complete, but its opening to the public must wait for the completion of a City Hall project, which involves building roads to improve access. These roads include Rwakadingi, Marée, Marché, Plateau, and de l’école.

Communication Unit of the Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works

Saturday, January 8, 2025 | The Governor of the City-Province of Kinshasa, Daniel BUMBA LUBAKI, conducted an inspection tour several road construction sites in

the capital. The tour included Avenues Kasavubu, Rwakadingi and Plateau as part of the project involving five arteries around the newly built Grand Marché de Kinshasa. The project aims to facilitate access to this large trading center, whose official launch will take place very soon.

This visit by the head of the Provincial Executive comes more than three weeks after the visit of Head of State Félix Tshisekedi on January 17. Daniel Bumba was accompanied, among others, by the Provincial Minister in charge of Infrastructure and Public Works, Alain TSHILUNGU, the Director-General of Burau Central de Coordiantion (BCeCo), Jean MABI MULUMBA, and representatives of the companies awarded the major construction contracts. Observations on site showed that on Kasavubu Avenue, in the section from Avenue Commerce to Rwakadingi, Safrimex, which is responsible for the work, is preparing to lay the “rigid layers” or reinforced concrete. On Avenue Rwakadingi, the company is carrying out sanitation works, while on Plateau Avenue, which runs from Rwakadingi to Dima Avenue, drainage construction and foundation laying are currently underway.

This achievement has been made possible thanks to funding from the Central Government through Bureau Central de Coordination (BCeCo), following instructions from the President of the Republic, to whom Daniel Bumba expressed his full gratitude. “Today, the focus was on visiting the construction sites. We have received vital support from the Head of State. It should also be noted that the works had already begun earlier, as there was a phase where the studies were initiated and completed for the selected sections. Now, the execution of the works is underway. It is important to highlight that all these selected arteries are now under contract, with BCeCo providing support on behalf of the Central Government, and we thank the Head of State for this. This is very historic, as some of these roads are now being rehabilitated and constructed after decades,” said Daniel BUMBA LUBAKI, who also called on the residents of Kinshasa to be patient, assuring them that he and his administration are working tirelessly to resolve the issue of traffic jams in Kinshasa.

According to Governor Bumba, Kinshasa currently has 750 km of deteriorated roads out of a total of 1,006 km of asphalted or concreted roads. The vision, in collaboration with

the Provincial Government, is to reach a total of 2,000 km of repaired, rehabilitated, and newly constructed roads during his five-year term. “And, God willing, we may even go beyond that because the Head of State is committed to satisfying the residents of Kinshasa,” he stated.

Communication Unit – Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (MINITP-Kinshasa)

Kinshasa, January 28, 2025 | The Provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works of the City of Kinshasa, Mr. Alain TSHILUNGU, received on Tuesday, January 28, in his office, the Rapporteur of the Provincial Assembly of Kinshasa, the Honorable KONGOLO KONGOLO André. The provincial elected represntative came to appeal to the Provincial Executive, within the framework of its urban road construction and rehabilitation program, on behalf of the Kasavubu Commune, which is among the municipalities where roads are severely deteriorated.

This appeal comes just a few days after his site visit to assess the condition of roads in the commune. According to him, the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works received him well and promised a response within a short time, in line with the schedule of the Provincial Government led by Daniel BUMBA LUBAKI. The Minister took the opportunity to call on the residents of Kasavubu Commune to be patient, noting that the current government team of Kinshasa has been in office for only six months.

This meeting provided an opportunity for the head of Infrastructure and Public Works of Kinshasa, Alain TSHILUNGU, to explain Governor DANIEL BUMBA’s vision for the capital’s road network to the Honorable KONGOLO KONGOLO André. According to the Minister, Kinshasa has a total of 4,000 linear kilometers of roads, and the current governor plans to construct 2,000 km, at a rate of 400 km per year.

For coordinated implementation, everything began with the identification of priorities. In a city like Kinshasa, where movement is pendular, residents traveling to the city center in the morning and returning home in the evening, a programmatic decision was made to start with roads that provide access to and circulation within the Kinshasa central business district.

The roads concerned under this initiative include, among others, Poids-Lourds, Flambeau, Kasaï, Bokasa, Wangata, Province, Huilerie, Kabinda, Kabambare, Nyangwe, Kalembelembe, Itaga, Hopital, Tombalbay, Colonel Ebeya, Du Livre, and others. The current delays in implementation are due to the studies, while the Central Government is ready to provide support.

In addition, other projects are already underway, including the “Trois communes” project and the modernization of Avenue Matankumu, to name just a few. All these initiatives aim to make the city of Kinshasa more livable, in line with the Governor’s vision as outlined in his Action Program, “Kinshasa Ezo Bonga.”

Communication Unit – Provincial Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works (MINITP-Kinshasa)