Businesses in Rubavu District that were closed due to recent floods reopened on Monday, June 17, following an assessment by the government to contain Sebeya River flooding.

This decision comes after a joint assessment by government entities. Minister of Emergency, Major General (Rtd) Albert Murasira, and other top officials announced the reopening during a meeting with Rubavu residents from Mahoko Trading Center, Kanama Sector, and Kabirizi Center in Rugerero Sector.

He said that 168 businesses from the two trading centers are "now allowed to reopen following an assessment involving government entities." These businesses were temporarily closed as the government evaluated the relocation of families living near the Sebeya River.

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"All the planned infrastructure is fully completed, and we are here to tell you that your businesses are allowed to open again, following the report from the joint assessment conducted by government entities,” he said.

"We appreciate your resilience and good behavior over the past days. As a government, we will continue working to prevent floods from causing further damage."

According to Prosper Mulindwa, Mayor of Rubavu District, businesses in Mahoko were at high risk of being affected by floods again before the recovery program initiated additional infrastructure, including bridges and retention walls.

"We are delighted with the infrastructure that has been put in place, which promises to prevent future disasters," he said.

"This year, floods did not affect people&039;s property. We believe that Sebeya will not cause more damage as it did before," Mulindwa noted.

Vincent Munyaneza, a businessperson in Mahoko, welcomed the reopening, hoping to return to normalcy.

"We're very thankful for the leaders who have been with us and how they responded rapidly to the disasters, thanks to President Kagame,” he said.

"Things are okay; Sebeya is protected now. I have four rentals that were closed, and I was counting down the days until we returned to normalcy. My husband almost lost his mind. I was worried about school fees, but now with this good news, I hope to live a normal life again," said Claudine Shakila.

District figures show that 5,048 families were affected by the floods, with some left homeless, and many business activities near the Sebeya River were disrupted.