The Nyabisindu rehousing site hums with relentless activity. Excavators claw into the red earth as trucks ferry heavy loads across the dusty ground. Engines rumble, metal clatters and workers shout instructions to one another over the mechanical roar. Slowly, methodically, rows of housing units begin to take shape — concrete walls rising where open land and fragile, disaster-prone structures once stood. It is a place defined by urgency. Construction timelines are tight. Expectations are high. Every movement of soil, every foundation laid, carries the weight of national and social responsibility. ALSO READ: Getting bolder: More Rwandan women are taking on male-dominated jobs but gaps remain When we arrived, Jeanine Umutesi was already waiting. Dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and sturdy construction boots, she approached us with quiet confidence, ready to take on another long day on site. The only female excavator operator at Nyabisindu, Umutesi blends seamlessly into the rhythm of the work — calm and focused amid dust, urgency and the constant thunder of machines. At the controls of one of the excavators shaping this transformation is the 27-year-old from Kirehe District, operating heavy machinery in a field long dominated by men. Climbing into the cab with steady hands, she manoeuvres the excavator with an assurance that belies both her age and the weight of being the only woman in such a role on site. Yet for Umutesi, this is not about breaking stereotypes for the sake of symbolism. “This is work,” she says simply. “And it is about building something that will remain.” A path shaped early Born and raised in Gatonde Sector in the Eastern Province district of Kirehe, Umutesi grew up around machines. Her father is a long-distance truck driver, and watching him navigate highways behind the wheel of heavy trucks planted an early seed. ALSO READ: How two women are shattering gender barriers in ‘jobs for men’ “Growing up, I watched him drive trucks, and that inspired me,” she recalls. “I have always loved technical things.” That interest followed her into secondary school, where she studied mechanics, a choice that already placed her outside conventional expectations for girls. “Even then, I knew I wanted to work with machines,” she says. “I felt I belonged close to heavy equipment and technical work.” After completing her secondary studies, however, employment did not come easily. Like many young people, she spent time at home without work, a period she remembers clearly. “My father encouraged me,” she says. “He told me that instead of sitting at home at 25 years old doing nothing, I should consider studying something practical if I felt courageous enough.” She did not hesitate. “I told him I had no problem with that,” she recalls. ALSO READ: Meet Ndabirorere, the engineer behind I&M green building Learning amid uncertainty Umutesi began training during the Covid-19 period, when economic uncertainty made jobs scarce and opportunities fragile. “That is when I started learning how to operate heavy machinery, especially excavators used in construction and road works,” she says. The training opened doors, but stability was still elusive. After completing her course, she travelled to Rusizi District in search of work, a move that tested both her resolve and resilience. “At the beginning, I did not immediately get a permanent job,” she says. “For about a month, I worked short-term contracts. Someone would call me to work for two or three days.” ALSO READ: Female mechanic on defying the odds in ‘a world of men’ Most of her early assignments were on road construction projects, environments where long hours, dust and pressure are standard. She also worked in quarries, excavating stones — physically demanding sites where mistakes are costly and learning curves steep. “That is where I gained my first real hands-on experience operating an excavator,” she says. “From there, I continued working in different places, mostly on road projects.” Those early years were defined by grit. Quarries and roadworks are unforgiving spaces for beginners, but they forged in her both competence and confidence. WATCH: VIDEO: Inside the world of women in male-dominated jobs Navigating doubt While mastering an excavator requires technical skill, navigating a male-dominated industry demands another kind of strength. “Personally, I am very proud of my work,” Umutesi says. “It gives me strength and motivates me to continue loving what I do.” But the journey has not been without doubt. “There are times when people discourage you,” she says. “Some say that as a woman, especially an unmarried woman, I should leave such heavy work and choose something easier.” Other comments are more blunt. “Sometimes you hear people say these machines are for men only,” she says. “Those words can make you question yourself.” ALSO READ: Trailblazing and resilience: Celebrating women engineers’ role in Rwanda’s development In environments where physical strength is often conflated with capability, women in construction frequently confront assumptions before they even touch the controls. For Umutesi, those moments were real — but not decisive. “I remember my father’s encouragement,” she says. “He believed in me and told me to study and move forward. That gave me confidence.” She learned to measure progress not by others’ opinions, but by her growing mastery of the machine. Building with purpose Today, at the Nyabisindu rehousing project, Umutesi’s role carries particular significance. The area has long been identified as high-risk, vulnerable to flooding and landslides. ALSO READ: ‘The industry is ripe’: Female driver’s prospects for women’s success in transport sector The Government’s rehousing initiative aims to replace unsafe dwellings with structured, serviced housing — complete with proper roads, drainage systems and essential infrastructure. It is a project of both social and national importance, designed to improve safety, dignity and urban planning standards in the capital. Being entrusted with heavy machinery in such an environment demands precision, discipline and reliability. For Umutesi, working at Nyabisindu represents both professional growth and personal pride. “Now that I have stable employment, my life has improved,” she says. “Before, when I was doing short contracts, income was unstable.” Today, she earns a regular salary, saves, and supports herself. “I no longer have to go home and ask for help,” she says. “Instead, I can contribute at home and assist my family when necessary.” The independence she describes is tangible — measured in savings, stability and the ability to plan ahead. “I still want to grow,” she adds. “I want to learn to operate other machines used in road construction so that wherever there is construction work, I can confidently be part of it.” Long hours, heavy responsibility Large-scale construction projects rarely run on standard hours. On sites like Nyabisindu, work often stretches well beyond the typical working day. “There are times when the job is very demanding,” Umutesi says. “Sometimes we work more than ten hours a day.” She recalls one moment that tested her resolve. “I once worked at night and felt so tired that I almost fell asleep while operating the machine,” she says. “I could have ended up down in the valley.” She stopped, parked the excavator and rested briefly. “At that moment, I asked myself whether I should quit,” she recalls. “But I thought about how far I had come and decided to continue.” For her, the decision was simple. “If I ever stop working, it will be when I am old and physically unable to continue,” she says. “For now, I still have the strength and the desire to keep going.” Trust earned, not given On the ground, performance speaks louder than stereotypes. Fred Musana, her supervisor at ECOGL Construction, says Umutesi’s responsibilities are earned, not symbolic. “She is someone we trust, and she also has confidence in herself,” he says. “That trust allows us to assign her responsibilities independently.” Musana says this is not Umutesi’s first project with the company. “We have worked together in many places before,” he notes. “She has experience and competence.” In a sector where precision and safety are non-negotiable, that competence matters. “There are many men in this field, but there are also many she outperforms,” Musana says. “In some cases, we assign her tasks before some male colleagues.” At ECOGL, he adds, the approach is straightforward. “We focus on ability. If someone can do the work well, that is what we consider.” A future in motion As concrete foundations harden and structures rise in Nyabisindu, Umutesi sees her own future taking shape alongside them. “When I look at my future, I see something bright,” she says. “I want to continue improving myself and gaining more experience.” She also carries a message for young girls who hesitate at the sight of towering machines. “Do not be afraid,” she says. “Fear is often the biggest obstacle. Try for just one day. When you see how it works, you realise it is not impossible.” On a site defined by urgency and national expectation, Jeanine Umutesi does not operate as an exception. She operates as a professional — shaping foundations, carving out roads and quietly shifting perceptions. As Nyabisindu rises from the dust, so too does a broader vision of what leadership and skill in construction can look like: focused, disciplined and unshakeable — even amid the thunder of moving earth.
