Residents in Karongi District say improved connectivity between local communities and the Kiziba refugee camp, the oldest camp in Rwanda, has made it easier for pregnant women from remote areas to reach Kibuye District Hospital.
Françoise Dorumwana, 32, is among many women who experienced the poor state of the road before it was upgraded in 2024. She recalls traveling long distances to Kibuye District Hospital in Karongi town under difficult conditions.
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"The ambulance used to move from side to side trying to avoid potholes,” she recalled. "It was a challenging journey for pregnant women, and we feared we could die because of the bad road.”
The 14.5-kilometre road, built at a cost of Rwf17 billion, has also contributed to business growth and increased economic activity in the more than 30-year-old Congolese refugee camp, which hosts over 14,000 refugees.
Residents such as Abel Nsengamungu, 45, a father of five, and Aline Nyirarukundo, 30, a mother of two, say the road has improved their daily lives.
"Traveling from the camp to Kigali and other parts of the country used to be very difficult. Now look at this tarmac road—few countries would think about refugees the way Rwanda does,” said the camp head, adding that refugee-run businesses now receive goods on time.
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Karongi District Mayor Gerald Muzungu highlighted the road’s broader benefits.
"It has eased the movement of people, both refugees and Rwandans, linking them to Karongi town,” the mayor said. "This has improved business by reducing motorcycle transport fares from two thousand francs to one thousand.”
He noted that transporting pregnant women used to be a major challenge, as ambulances struggled to move on the old road, affecting patients who needed to be transferred to Kibuye District Hospital.
"Now the road is in good condition, and there are no cases of women getting complications during delivery due to transportation delays,” he said.
Frank Ngoga, who is in charge of the Socio-Economic Inclusion of Refugees and Host Community Project (Jya Mbere Project) at the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management, said the construction of the Kibuye–Kiziba road was initiated to support both Kiziba refugee camp and the host community.
"It is part of the government’s efforts to promote social inclusion between refugees and host communities in Rwanda,” he said.
"The road links schools, markets, hospitals, and other sectors of the local economy.”