Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza announced in late 2018 that he would make Gitega the country's new political capital.
The move became official in early 2019 and will take at least three years before it is complete.
But some critics are wondering, in the face of next year's general elections, whether the relocation is political.
Bujumbura, the old capital, is an opposition base.
Others say Burundi cannot afford the relocation cost.
Al Jazeera's Catherine Soi reports from Gitega.
