Ruhango district seeks to revamp historical sites to promote tourism

By Emmanuel Kanamugire

Ruhango District in collaboration with Rwanda Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA) is working on plan to restore historical sites in a bid to attract tourists in the region, the district Mayor, Valens Habarurema says.

The district located in the Southern Province holds a long list of historical sites and other areas that can attract tourists but they remain unexploited.

Some of these sites include Umugina w’Imvuzo in Byimana Sector, Urutare rwa Kamegeri and Umwari wa Musamo in Ruhango Sector, Intango ya Rwabugili in Kabagali Sector, Umwungeri wa Nyankaka in Kinazi Sector among others.

The district has also a religious tourism site commonly known as Kwa Yezu Nyirimpuwhe where every first week of the month, believers from the Catholic faith make a pilgrimage for prayers and worship. Others are prayer hills like Kanyarira, the rocks of Nkubi in Bweramana Sector.

While speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Habarurema said the district is collaborating with RALGA in conducting a study that will help in identifying all sites, collecting information and facts related to each and decide on what can be set accordingly.

“There is a huge plan of the Southern Province called ‘Southern Corridor’ to develop tourism from Nyabarongo Bridge in Kamonyi District to Nyaruguru District where every tourism spot has to be fit out and exploited. Particularly in our district, we partner with RALGA in doing a study aiming at identifying all places that can attract visitors, drawing up details and historical facts about each site, showing which kind of infrastructures to be set.” He said.

“So far we have got the first draft with a long list including the prayer hills but we are waiting the final study. Thereafter strategies to market them will be necessary to make them known on national, regional and international levels. We hope to get investors in tourism sector.” He added.

Ruhango District is one of the eight districts which compose the Southern Province. It shares the limits with Muhanga District in the north, Nyanza in the south, Bugesera in the East, Kamonyi in the north-east, Nyamagabe in the south west and Karongi in the west. It straddles the major road from Kigali to Bujumbura.