Rutsiro district in Western Province is inhabitted by 324,654 people with a quarter of its surface covered with water, mainly of Lake Kivu where it has 41 islands.

The district economic development is based on agriculture   mainly growing bananas, beans, pineapples , maize, tea and coffee, Irish potatoes, wheat and livestock mainly cows ,goats, pigs, sheep , poultry and rabbits.

According to Emerence Ayinkamiye , the district mayor, the last seven years have witnessed improvements thanks to the shared vision of the district and implementaion of its development plan 2013-2018.

Economic Development

A) Agriculture productivity (2011-2016)

According to the district planning officer, Chamir Serukiza Murembe, agriculture is the pillar of economic development in Rutsiro district.

"The development and food security for people is based on agriculture. Therefore, the district has been endeavouring to ensure land consolidation is implemented, fertilizers use, improved seeds use and digging terraces which play a big role in arresting run-off and increasing productivity”.

Productivity of maize as part of food crops currently stands at 3.6 tons per ha, 2.44 tons of beans per ha, 59.7 tons of Irish potatoes per ha, 6.4 tons of wheat per ha.

Hectares of Cash crops were also increased; coffee on 603 ha and the productivity increased from 9,126 tons in 2011 to 50,775 tons to 2016 while   tea is currently grown on 1,574.4 ha with productivity of 1,189, 888 tons.

Fruits are also grown in the district where for instance tree tomatoes are grown on 219.1 ha from 66. 7 ha in 2011 and current production stands at 4,816 tons.

Agro-processing factories for cash crops increased to 19 plants for coffee processing and one tea processing factory.

After farmers were urged to use fertilizers so far 1,046,646 tons of  DAP, 515,595 tons tons of  UREA, 533,534 tons of NPK and 1,126 tons of manure have been used while terraces have been constructed on  16,610 ha. A total of 2,830 farmers are already in grooups of farmers under the extension model ‘Twigire Muhinzi’.

The district constructed 7 drying facilities , 3 warehouses and one  house for irish potatoes seed multiplication.

The achievements in animal resources (2011-2016)also saw animal veterinary pharmacy increasing from zero to one, trained veterinaries  from zero to 14, cows provided under Girinka program from 322 to 4015, inseminated cows from 1428 to 6541, small domestic animals from 2,731 to 14,417, honey production from 23814 kg to 88461, fish harvesting from 2731 kg to 1,323,956 kg, milk collection centers from zero to 3 and butchery from zero to 1.

"The district in conjunction with NIRDA constructed a honey processing centre to increase honey quality and productivity. The project was awarded by LODA as the best-studied project. According to RGB report 2014, Rutsiro residents are satisfied with services in agriculture sector at between 50 and 75 per cent.  B) Land management services

According to the district planning officer, out of 535, 881 registered pieces of land 274,225 land titles have been issued, which is 71.1 per cent.

RGB governance report 2014 indicates that residents are satisfied with land management services at between 75-100 per cent.

C) Planned settlement

So far over 76 per cent have been well settled , 118 master plans of well settled villages have been put in place, up from 39 in 2011.

The district has also embarked on implementing district master plan.

 D) Transport

The district has constructed new roads, rehabilitated the existing ones and feeder roads all which equal to 386km to boost transport of people and goods.

There are 15 public and merchandise transport cooperatives of which 4 use boats on Lake Kivu, 8 cooperatives are for motorcyclists, 2 for heavy trucks while one cooperative is for cyclists.

The road Rusizi-Karongi-Rubavu is currently being constructed.

 e) Environment and forests

In the past three years, forests were planted; mining activities were monitored while Gishwati-Mukura forest with 3094 ha was turned into national park.

Watersheds at Lake Kivu and rivers were protected at 80 per cent.

f) Energy

The district is supporting efforts to help people abandon use of biomass and embrace clean energy to reduce negative impact on forest resources.

An electricity transmission line at the Congo- Nil-Muyira-Rusebeya-Mushubati, Bitenga-Boneza has been constructed and another supply Kigeyo-Kivumu-Nyabirasi is to be constructed in 2016-2017 fiscal year.

Households with electricity increased from 8,356 to 21,318 in 2016 while biogas plants increased from 23 in 2011 to 157 in 2016.

G) Water and sanitation

Different projects have enabled 59,550 (83.5 %) out of 71,267 households to access clean water

i) ICT

The district currently uses video conference with government and private institutions.

A big part of the district has access to network as fiber optic allows internet use.

Service Access Point rooms in two sectors help people access ICT services.

i) Investment and cooperatives development

136 cooperatives have been established with 6 498 members who have total assets of Rwf837 .456m.

All 13Umurenge Saccos built their own offices.

SACCOS invested Rwf389.9m, members saved Rwf1.4b on accounts and so far SACCOs have provided loans of Rwf3.6bn to clients.

j) Tourism

Besides Gishwati-Mukura forest that was turned into national park, the district has tourist sites on islands designed by RDB and other sites.

A new district hotel will also be launched soon. 

2. Social affairs

A) Education

Nursery schools increased from 21 with 1686 pupils in 2012 to 89 with 4,909 pupils in 2015 , primary schools moved from 92 with 85,867 pupils to 93 schools with 83,381 pupils while Students in Secondary schools increased from 13,660 in 2012 to 14,802 in 2015.

Currently the district has two TVETS schools with 32 students in 2012 that increased to 1,201 in 2015.

Enrolment into adult literacy was 5,976 in 2013 and 3,779 in 2015.

b) Health

The district focused on hygiene, combating malnutrition, family planning, increasing health facilities, mobilization about Mutuelle de sante subscription and recovering debts owed to RSSB.

 Health facilities

Year Facilities Sectors

2011-2012 Cyimbiri maternity facility Kigeyo

2012-2013 Maternity facility Congo-Nil, water supply in health centers of Mukura, Kabona, Mushubati, Congo Nile, Rutsiro and Kayove Mukura, Kabona, Mushubati, Congo Nile, Rutsiro na Kayove

2013-2014 Rehabilitating water supply systems in 9 health centers of 9 and Murunda hospital Murunda, Boneza,Kigeyo, Nyabirasi, Mushonyi, Gihango

2013-2014 Maternity facility at Mukura Mukura

2014-2015 Maternity facility in Karumbi Ruhango

2014-2015 Remera health post Rusebeya

2011-2015 Extension and rehabilitation of Murunda hosptital Murunda

Constructing maternity house on course Mushubati 

c) Family and children protection

The district put a lot of efforts in sending youth to Iwawa rehabilitation center, Bye Bye Nyakatsi was reinforced and other various family promotion programs.

d) Supporting vulnerable, coping with disasters

The district also provided shelter to those who used to live in grass roofed houses , supporting vulnerable genocide survivors with 60 cows, 53 rehabilitated houes , 47 new houses and 637 got direct support.

Other 554 poor people were supported with school fees and 376 were provided with shelter among others.

Support also goes to other vulnerable people such as disabled persons who got wheel chairs and crutches as well as domestic cattle while people at old age got Rwf300,000 in 2012, Rwf400,000 in 2014 and Rwf500,000 in 2015.

Ten historically marginalized groups were trained in TVETs and got tool kits while their 53 children’s school fees was paid by the district.

The disabled groups were also gathered in cooperatives and facilitated to access other facilities such as games and infrastructures.

The district introduced disasters management school clubs, trained teams that monitor and combat disasters in the district, put in place District Disaster Management Plan while taking into consideration Rwandans evicted from Tanzania.

e) VUP program

The program activities started in 2009 and until 2015, the activities had a budget of Rwf3.5bn through public works, direct support and financial support.

So far, out of 3,625 beneficiaries on the list, 2774 already have the direct support while 9,572 out of 16,983 have got support through public works such as building roads, bridges, terraces, schools and others.

Rwf737.2m of Financial, support (loans) went to people grouped in ubudehe categories one, two and three. 

3. Good governance and justice

A) Youth, culture and sport

In terms of promoting sport, Rutsiro girls’ team that represented Western Province in Kagame Cup in 2014 took the cup at national level and in 2015 the boys’ team participated in final competition at national level.

Hope FC football team was inaugurated in 2014 and started to participate in second division while a soccer stadium was officiated in 2013.

Rutsiro built a RWF126 genocide memorial site ( Congo Nil) in 2012-2013 .Residents also mobilized funds and built a Rwf15m genocide memorial site in Mukura sector in 2011-2012 and other residents in Musasa sector also built Rwf38m genocide memorial site in 2015.

B) Solving citiens problems

Improving service delivery and understanding citiens problems were reinforced as as part of efforts to boost good governance as the table shows.

C) community work, Ndi Umunyarwanda program

Adding value to community work was strengthened to the extent that so far the activties are worth Rwf2.3bn from Rwf434.9m in 2011.

Ndi Umunyarwanda program was also taken into account so as to reinforce unity and reconciation.

A total of to embrac 483 local government officials mobilized over 300,000 citizens to embrace NdiUmunyarwanda program.

In civic training –itorero activities were also scaled up. 

d) Development partners

The district and partners put efforts together to support Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) activities which led to various achievements, avoiding duplication of certain projects, using open days established to raise awareness among residents on what partners do.

The district partners are involved in implementing district performance contracts as well as in sensitization about health insurance at community level.

Developments partners helped the district to reduce malnutrition among children under two years, built 14 km water supply system, Gitwa health center , provided 345 cows as contribution to Girinka program ,planting trees and rehabilitation of Gishwati-Mukura forests , providing shelter for the vulnerable groups , Trained 300 disabled persons on job creation, technology in making charcoals, eradicating illiteracy for 1235 adults among others.

Taxes and reveues generated in the district increased from Rwf295.6 in 2011 to Rwf357m in 2015.

The district has ongoing long term projects such as the third phase of constructing a district hotel at cost of Rwf240m, water supply systems and water plant supplying the district, tea factory at Rwf1.2bn and construction of district office at Rwf754m.