Since taking office, Governor Daniel Bumba Lubaki has pursued a policy of urban rupture. The unspoken motto of his governance could very well be summed up by this stark yet clear formula: “Knowing how to demolish to rebuild better.”
In Kinshasa—a megacity shaken by architectural anarchy, lack of planning, and improvised urbanism—this phrase is no poetic metaphor. It is an operational necessity. Demolishing buildings erected on public easements, flood-prone zones, or state-owned land is no longer optional; it is a required step toward a more functional, breathable, and above all, fairer city.
But demolition must not become an end in itself, nor an administrative vendetta against the most vulnerable. The real challenge for the governor lies here: to rebuild with method, equity, and vision. Because to demolish properly also means to propose an alternative, a solution, a plan.
Kinois residents do not oppose order. They oppose organized disorder, double standards, and justice that bends with the wind. Demolish, yes—but within the framework of a coherent, transparent, and participatory urban plan. Rebuild, yes—but for everyone, not just the privileged few.
By reclaiming control over Kinshasa’s spatial destiny, Daniel Bumba is making a political and historical bet. The capital is suffocating. Its roads are failing. Its neighborhoods are sprawling like oil stains—without sanitation, without access. This is no time for beautification. It’s time to reinvent.
And what if Kinshasa’s future depended on this bold and unpopular stance? Demolish—to rebuild a more dignified tomorrow.
