Rwamagana, the town in love with sports betting

I have always wanted to visit Rwamagana. Last week I decided to get it done once and for all. Rwamagana is located about 60 kilometres from the capital Kigali. I headed to Nyabugogo taxi park and boarded the next coaster heading there. Within no time the bus had filled up and we were set for the journey. Expecting to have a lot of people carrying food and other things, I carried my laptop just to avoid a boring journey. To my surprise, the people that entered the coaster were well dressed and only filled the coaster with lovely fragrances. It was raining too!Hooked to the music on my phone, I didn’t hear a lot of what was happening until I noticed everyone looking at a group of men. One of them was talking about how every Rwandan above the age of 18 should be up and working by 6.00am. Everyone in the bus seemed to strongly agree with him. This already gave me a picture of what the people in Rwamagana are like. The rain turned to a drizzle as we entered Rwamagana town. Anxious to see what the town is like, I quickly looked outside the window and saw a huge ancient church. The moment we set foot in the taxi park, I quickly jumped on a moto which took me to the church that was about a kilometre from the park. It wasn’t just a church; it was one of those churches with big bells and ancient clocks, though by the look of things they were too old to work anymore. Anxious to know when this church was built, I quickly headed to the priest’s residence. I was then led to the office of Kizito Tebuka, Chief Priest of Rwamagana Parish Church who told me the church was built in 1919. “Everything stayed the same ever since it was built and today, it still stands strong,” he said. “This church doesn’t have a lot of history though all I can say is that it was built by the holy priests and during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi nothing happened at the church.” With my thirst to know about the church well quenched, I headed back to the town. Expecting to see a lot of shops by the road side, I was amazed to see hospitals, offices, banks and organisation offices - one after another. This was shocking. Unlike many towns with many people walking on the roads and in the park, Rwamagana is the total opposite. Everyone seemed to mind their own business. With my stomach making the daily noon demand, I went on a lunch hunt. On my way to a hotel that I spotted miles away, I noticed this huge building that obviously wasn’t a bank or hotel. I turned to the sign post which had a sign post with inscriptions of the Eastern Province Head Quarters. Reaching Dereva Hotel, the Serena of Rwamagana, food prices ranged from RWF 5,000 to 3000 which was the same at the nearby Hotel Centre d’accueil Sainte Agnes. Well, since the prices were too high for me, I went to a local restaurant named Hosanna where I found a number of people enjoying matooke (green bananas) and beans cooked with meat. After lunch, I decided to take a walk around. The town is home to several banks and other corporate agencies. Curious to know what the people of Rwamagana like doing at night, I asked my bike rider and tour guide, Teophile Ikomezekudufasha.He told me that the only night life around is betting and watching football. I asked him to take me to one of the betting and soccer watching joints but unfortunately they were all closed. Although I was impressed with the hardworking nature of these people, I was disappointed by the state of their garages that were water logged and dirty. Generally, the town looked nice. It’s worth a visit if you haven’t been there. Didier, Manager of Dereva Hotel, said the prices of rooms are the same like anywhere else around town. “A double room is Rwf30,000 and a single room is Rwf20,000. We usually get a lot of people and usually rooms are full,” he added. Hotel rooms range from Rwf30,000 to 5,000. Getting to Rwamagana costs Rwf1,100 if you use the coasters heading there from Nyabugogo.