The Athletics governing body (RAF) is looking into the possibility of making the Kigali Night Run a monthly running exercise in order to promote the culture of sports among the city residents. The very first Kigali Night Run event of its kind was held May 16, 2016 as a curtain raiser for the 2016 Kigali International Peace Marathon(KIPM) where over 1000 participants from different parts of the world took part in the inaugural edition. The federation is now working closely with partners, mainly the City of Kigali and the Ministry of Sports, to expand the initiative by organising it every month in order to honor requests from Kigali residents who have been attending it over the past years. “The concept of Kigali Night Run was created in preparation for Kigali International Peace Marathon because it was used to happen just a few months before the event,” said RAF Secretary General Jean Paul Niyitunze. “Now, due to the requests of the residents of Kigali, we are looking into how we can organise at least once a month on a regular basis because people found it very helpful,” he added. The first Kigali Night Run of 2023 takes place Friday, January 13, from 6:00pm. It will cover a distance of around 4.5km. The run will start at Kigali Heights-RoundAbout Convention Center-Netherlands Embassy-Round About RDF and return to Kigali Heights. Niyitunze, however, stressed that the federation can’t organise such a big event alone, before mentioning the City of Kigali and the Ministry of Sports as their main partners who support the cause to make sure it becomes a success. “We organize the event based on the advice they give us,” he noted. Kigali Night Run is not a race but a social sports event aiming at helping and motivating Kigali residents to do sports regularly and encourage them to run, jog and walk.
