Joan Asiimwe remembers a Bugesera that bore little resemblance to the district taking shape today. It was a place where Tutsi had been forcibly displaced, where discrimination denied children access to education, and where the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi left communities shattered.
Asiimwe, a senior citizen and cadre in the district, has lived through these chapters of its history. She witnessed the devastation left by the Genocide, the difficult work of helping survivors rebuild their lives and the gradual changes that followed.
Today, Bugesera is preparing for a different future. The construction of a new international airport, the growth of its industrial park and plans for a Formula 1 circuit have raised expectations of jobs, investment and new business opportunities.
For Asiimwe, the transformation is striking. But understanding what it means requires looking back at the hardships that shaped the district and the long process of rebuilding that followed.
A history of marginalisation
Asiimwe recalls that Bugesera was deliberately neglected under previous governments, partly because of its large Tutsi population.
The area became a destination for Tutsi displaced from other parts of Rwanda, particularly around 1959, when many were forced from their homes and land.
The relocation also exposed many families to the harsh conditions of Bugesera, which was then heavily infested with tsetse flies, insects that transmit diseases capable of killing both people and livestock.
For many of those forcibly settled in the region, the challenge was therefore not only displacement from their homes and land, but also survival in an unfamiliar and hostile environment.
The persecution of Tutsi in Bugesera would continue in the years that followed. In the early 1990s, under Juvénal Habyarimana’s government, the region became one of the areas targeted in the escalating campaign of violence against Tutsi, with thousands killed.
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These earlier massacres formed part of the wider history of persecution that preceded the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
She believes the concentration of Tutsi in one area was part of a wider political plan that made them more vulnerable to violence.
Her own family left Rwanda during that period. Like many others, they went into exile, and Asiimwe eventually went to Uganda. She continued following events in Rwanda, including the discrimination that affected Tutsi who remained in the country.
Education was among the areas in which exclusion was most apparent. Even children who performed well in examinations could struggle to progress to secondary school, while employment opportunities for Tutsis were restricted.
Some parents responded by establishing schools to give their children opportunities that the system denied them.
"Because of this, some parents came together and built schools to give their children an opportunity to continue their education,” Asiimwe recounts.
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The violence against Tutsi continued, including killings in 1962. These events formed part of the history of persecution that culminated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
By the end of May 1994, Asiimwe says, Bugesera had become a scene of horrific devastation. Bodies lay across the area, survivors needed urgent medical assistance, and the scale of suffering was difficult to comprehend.
"There was blood everywhere. Dogs roamed around, some of them having grown fat from eating human bodies. That is how terrible Bugesera was at the time. I cannot adequately describe it,” she recalls.
Rebuilding after the Genocide
On May 14, 1994, when the RPF-Inkotanyi captured Nyamata and halted the genocide killings in Bugesera, communities faced challenges beyond restoring basic services, including mass killings, widespread displacement, destroyed homes, and the risk of revenge.
Asiimwe was among the cadres instructed to communicate a clear message to residents: nobody was permitted to kill another person in retaliation.
Meetings were organised to reinforce the message and encourage people to concentrate on saving lives, treating the wounded and rebuilding their communities.
The needs were immense. Medicines were scarce, many people had lost their homes and possessions, and returning families sometimes found others occupying their houses. Some needed alternative accommodation, while survivors required physical and psychological support.
Humanitarian organisations arrived to assist, including in caring for people who had experienced sexual violence. Asiimwe recalls the difficulty of supporting survivors whose lives had been profoundly disrupted.
The recovery also required helping people find ways to earn a living. Many had depended largely on farming, but rebuilding livelihoods meant encouraging residents to consider other economic activities and identify skills they could use to support themselves.
Resettlement brought further challenges as authorities worked to help people return home and address disputes over occupied houses. The development of grouped settlements, known as imidugudu, formed part of efforts to organise communities and improve access to services.
Gacaca courts later played an important role in addressing crimes committed during the Genocide. Through community participation, cases were heard and those found responsible were held accountable.
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For Asiimwe, the process was an important part of helping people move forward, despite the difficulties involved.
"Had Gacaca not existed, I believe the process of bringing people together and addressing what had happened would have taken much longer,” she says.
Fighting hunger and restoring livelihoods
The years after the Genocide brought another struggle: hunger.
Bugesera’s dry conditions made agricultural production difficult and food shortages forced some families to abandon their homes in search of better conditions. Government assistance helped households facing severe shortages, while tree-planting initiatives sought to improve the environment.
Asiimwe remembers that establishing trees in the area was not easy. Harsh sunshine meant that many seedlings did not survive, but residents continued planting and caring for them. Over time, the landscape began to change, and agricultural production improved.
More recently, other residents have experienced the effects of drought and unreliable rainfall.
Samuel Bukuru, 60, from Ntarama Sector, remembers the difficult period around 1999 and 2000, when crops failed and water became scarce. Some families travelled to Kigali and neighbouring districts in search of food and basic necessities.
"The drought was a very difficult time for us. The crops failed, and finding enough food and water became a struggle,” he recalls.
For Anonciate Mukantwali, 54, a resident of Mayange Sector, the hardship lasted longer. Between 1999 and 2002, her family worked on other people’s farms in exchange for food and other necessities.
Eventually, she and her three youngest children moved temporarily to Rwamagana to stay with a relative, while her husband remained in Bugesera with their two older children. The family gradually returned home between 2016 and 2019 as conditions improved, resuming cultivation and rebuilding its livelihood.
Their experiences underline why access to water, irrigation, agricultural inputs and markets remains important even as Bugesera pursues major investments.
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An economy taking shape
Bugesera’s development is increasingly visible in its industries, roads, public services and commercial activity.
The district has attracted more than 70 industries to its industrial park, according to Asiimwe’s account. Agriculture remains central to local livelihoods, with rice cultivation in wetlands such as Rurambi, which covers approximately 750 hectares, and facilities supporting the processing of produce.
Plans to expand irrigation could help farmers reduce their dependence on rainfall. Asiimwe also points to opportunities in livestock, poultry, pig farming and dairy production, alongside efforts to improve residential areas and develop Nyamata town.
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The district’s infrastructure has also expanded, with road construction, water-treatment facilities and efforts to connect remaining villages to electricity. These changes are intended to improve living conditions while making the area more attractive to businesses.
For residents, the challenge is ensuring that economic growth creates reliable livelihoods rather than simply changing the district’s physical appearance.
The airport and Formula 1 ambitions
The new international airport is among the most significant projects shaping Bugesera’s future. According to Aviation, Travel & Logistics Holdings, the airport is projected to be completed by the end of 2027. Its initial phase is designed to accommodate up to eight million passengers and 150,000 tonnes of cargo annually.
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Beyond passenger travel, the facility is expected to support logistics, cargo handling, hospitality, retail and other services. These activities could create demand for hotels, restaurants, transport operators, agricultural suppliers and other businesses.
Plans for a Formula 1 circuit have added to the district’s ambitions. The proposed facility is expected to bring opportunities linked to construction, tourism, hospitality and major events if the project proceeds.
For Mukantwali, the scale of the investments is difficult to separate from the hardships her family experienced.
"After everything we went through, we never expected to see such big projects established here. We hope the airport and other investments will bring jobs, support local businesses and improve life for families in Bugesera,” she says.
Her hopes reflect a question facing the district as it enters this new phase: how much of the expected economic activity will reach the people who have lived through its difficult past?
Ensuring residents benefit
Figures presented by the Rwanda Development Board at the Bugesera Investment Forum in June 2026 indicated that more than 330 investment projects had been registered in the district since 2018. Their combined value was reported at $1.7 billion, with more than 20,000 jobs created.
The board also reported that 41 additional projects worth $27 million had been registered in the first part of 2026, with the potential to generate more than 1,600 jobs.
The figures point to growing investor interest, but they do not establish how many jobs are held by Bugesera residents, how many are permanent or how widely the benefits are shared.
Local participation will depend partly on whether young people can access relevant training, whether small businesses can compete for contracts and whether farmers can meet the needs of larger markets. Residents will also need accessible information about employment opportunities and the skills required to secure them.
For families who once struggled to find food and water, progress means more than a new airport, roads or industrial buildings. It means being able to earn a reliable income, educate their children and plan for the future with greater confidence.
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Asiimwe’s account captures the distance Bugesera has travelled, from a history of forced displacement and mass violence to a district positioning itself for major investment. The transformation has taken decades of rebuilding, reconciliation and work to restore livelihoods.
The opportunities ahead could bring further change. Whether that change becomes lasting progress for local families will depend on how effectively the district connects its growing economy to the people who call it home.