In the mountainous Rulindo District, hardly an hour drive from Kigali, is a sculpture of a muscular man with a ‘six-pack-body’ holding a bow and spear, believed to represent the physique of renowned Ruganzu II Ndoli, who ruled Rwanda since 1510 until his death in 1543. Commonly known as ‘Ku Kirenge’ (on the foot), this place is home to ‘Ikirenga cultural centre,’ where a rock believed to have a footprint of Ruganzu is on display. Although almost unbelievable when you hear the story behind, the docent takes pleasure in pointing out to the guests where Ruganzu’s toes and heel are believed to have been printed by the great fighter. The foot doesn’t even seem to have been extraordinarily big in size. It is believed that when Ruganzu wanted to take over Rwanda, he attacked a place called Rubingo (present day Rulindo district) where a Lord Rubingo lived. Ruganzu disguised himself as a local and joined the others in a cultural night (igitaramo), and when he reached in front of Rubingo, he killed him and took over from then. But the locals were angry, so he and his soldiers ran from the heated masses, and when they reached present day Rusiga sector, his soldiers told him they were thirsty. He stepped on a rock and shot an arrow, which in turn hit another rock on his left and water poured out. People say the rock he stepped on firing the arrow is the one with his foot prints, and the whole mountain where it was has since been known as ‘Ku kirenge cya Ruganzu.’ Steven Boshya Mutangana, a Rwandan author, said in his 2020 article “Military expeditions to expand and protect Rwanda, achievements that won’t be forgotten” that Ruganzu captured the whole of Nduga- now southern Rwanda, including Rukoma, Mayaga and Marangara. Ku Kirenge’ (on the foot), this place is home to ‘Ikirenga cultural centre,’ where a rock believed to have a footprint of Ruganzu is on display His army under the name ‘Ibisumizi,’ also captured the whole of Bunyabungo- southern Kivu, eastern Kivu to Rusizi, Ijwi Island, Bunyambiriri- now Nyaruguru, Bwanamukari, Bugoyi, Byahi, Bwishya, and Bufumbira. Ruganzu also assisted the King of Bugesera, Rwayitare, to attack and win the King of Burundi Ntare II Kibogora, whom they had disputes. Apart from his military genius, Ruganzu is also known to have had supernatural powers, where he commanded a rock found at Bagege in Gakenke District that could tremulously move in night darkness and quake down trees, houses and mountains, to never move again. A story is again told of the cause of the series of underground tunnels in the volcanic mountains of the north that are a great tourist attraction today. It is believed that before Ruganzu defeated all the kinglets and Uganda’s Banyoro invaders, he was attacked in the north and had no way of escape, so he created underground tunnels by his mighty spear he shot at mountain per mountain and escaped under the mountains. Geologists freely oppose all these concepts, but sticks and stones may break bones. Apart from the footprint, Ruganzu’s milestones that include expanding Rwanda and his miracles are still believed and narrated in Rwanda, 500 years later. Some regard him as a saviour, given the events leading to his coronation. In fact, his great achievements are also attributed to his zeal to revenge for his father, Ndahiro II Cyamatare, who was, together with his family, killed by the king of Bunyabungo (southern Kivu), Nsibura Nyebuga. Cyamatare however had sent Ruganzu as a young boy to live with his sister, Nyabunyana, who was Queen in Karagwe, now Tanzania, to seek refuge when he started getting worried about his own security. In case he was killed, Ruganzu was to replace him, and Rwanda would not lack a king. Nevertheless, it took 11 years for Ruganzu to recapture Rwanda, but he also expanded it, and his legacy lives on. He remains a great fighter who had powers no one in his descendants or ancestors ever had, and although most of the stories about him may be exaggerated and not true, he was an exemplary king who loved Rwanda and its citizens, his zeal, heroic actions, and greatness he showed by liberating and expanding Rwanda. No other King in Rwanda is praised as much. Ruganzu also strengthened bilateral relations between Rwanda and Karagwe, where his aunt who protected him and taught him to fight for Rwanda was queen. He also returned the celebration of Umuganura, the most important event in precolonial Rwanda that had been banned by Banyabungo for 11 years. Sadly, he died an untimely death when a man named Bitibibisi from Rusenyi (now Karongi) fired an arrow right in his eye. The rock on which he had left his footprint was shattered in the 1980s when the Kigali-Musanze road was being built. The water source from the rock he fired his arrow with was also sealed by the rocks and soil from the incident, so the elders say. In 1982, Father Jean Baptiste Rugegamanzi from the area, kept the piece of the footprint rock for eight years at Rwankuba Parish which he used to lead, but later was taken to Butare, the Headquarters for Rwanda National Museums, and later in 2020, brought to Ikirenga, where it originally came from. The cultural centre in Rulindo was built in honour of Ruganzu’s legendary values and milestones for Rwanda.
