APR FC on Friday, July 4, returned to the roots in Mulindi Sector, Gicumbi District, to celebrate 32 years of sports transformation in an event that coincided with the Liberation Day.
Dubbed ‘APR FC Ku Ivuko,’ the event, which took place at Mulindi w’Intwari where the club was founded by the Rwanda Patriotic Front in 1993, aimed at celebrating the fortunes that the team achieved over the past 32 years but also present a new direction.
"APR FC was founded here in Mulindi in 1993. It was the idea of the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Rwandan Armed Forces, Paul Kagame," explained former club chairman Gen. Mubarakh Muganga who currently serves as Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Chief of Defence Staff.
"Many who started with the club were RPA soldiers...they are here with us. They were the youth who left everything behind to play their part in the liberation struggle for our country,” he added.
After founding the team, Muganga said, the club invited six teams including one team from Kigali identified as PSR, for a mini tournament.
"Since its establishment, the club prioritized discipline and integrity based on well-prepared training sessions. Striving for players’ welfare helped the club achieve so many fortunes in domestic football and on the continental stage,” he said.
Thirty-two years since its establishment, APR FC won 23 league titles in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The club also won Peace Cup 14 times in 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2025. It also won the CECAFA Kagame Cup on three occasions in 2004, 2007 and 2010.
During the event, APR FC's unveiled new players signed during the current transfer window, new coaching staff, the new logo and new kits for the 2025/26 season.
The management also confirmed plans to construct own stadium in the near future. The proposed the architectural design of the facility was presented to the fans but it remains yet to be known where and when it will be constructed.
During the event, founding members of APR FC (Mulindi FC) played a friendly match against officials of Gicumbi FC.
Led by Muganga and club Chairman Brig Gen Deo Rusanganwa, Mulindi FC took the lead in the first half before Gicumbi evened the scores in the second half as the match ended 1-1.
APR has a strong history in Mulindi which was RPA’s site of headquarters and command center during the liberation struggle.
The Rwanda Liberation Museum, located in Mulindi, highlights the RPF-Inkotanyi's struggle from 1990 to 1994 and its role in ending the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Mulindi was a strategic location, providing a base for planning, communication, and receiving supplies during the liberation struggle.