Editing Kigali

{{short description|Capital and the largest city of Rwanda}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
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| official_name      = Kigali
| native_name        = 
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
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|image1 = My city kigali.jpg
|caption1 = Panoramic view of Kigali
|image2 = Kigali_Convention_Center_(_Rwanda_).jpg
|caption2 = [[Kigali Convention Center]]
|image3 = RW_Kigali_(36)_(17260558545).jpg
|caption3 = Kigali CBD
|image4 = Cok_gorilla_monument_1.jpg
|caption4 = Gorilla monument and Kigali City Council
|image5 = Ste.-Famille_Church_-_Genocide_Site_-_Kigali_-_Rwanda.jpg
|caption5 = [[Sainte-Famille Church]]
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| coordinates        = {{coord|1|56|38|S|30|3|34|E|region:RW-01_type:city(1,100,000)|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Rwanda}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of Rwanda|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = Kigali
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1907
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Samuel Dusengiyumva
| area_total_km2     = 730
| elevation_m        = 1567
| population_total   = 1,745,555
| population_blank1_title = [[Male]]
| population_blank1  = 888,882 (50.92%)
| population_blank2_title = [[Female]]
| population_blank2  = 856,673 (49.08%)
| population_as_of   = 2022 census
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = 1,518,632 (87%)
| population_urban_footnotes = <ref name=citypopulation/>
| population_rural   = 226,923 (13%)
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| population_footnotes = <ref name=citypopulation>{{cite web|title=Population of Rwanda according to the population and housing censuses|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/rwanda/admin/|date=2022-08-01|access-date=2023-03-05|website=citypopulation.de}}</ref>
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Districts of Rwanda|Districts]]{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=11}}<hr /><span style="font-weight: normal; !important">1. [[Gasabo]]<br />2. [[Kicukiro (district)|Kicukiro]]<br />3. [[Nyarugenge]]</span>
| blank_info_sec1    = [[File:Rwanda KigaliDists.png|right|80px|alt=Map showing the three districts of Kigali]]
| blank_name_sec2    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2021)
| blank_info_sec2    = 0.699<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web |publisher=Institute for Management Research, [[Radboud University]] |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/RWA/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0 |title=Global Data Lab: Sub-national HDI |access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref><br />{{color|#fc0|medium}} · [[List of provinces of Rwanda by Human Development Index|1st of 5]]
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'''Kigali''' ({{IPA|kin|ki.ɡɑ́.ɾi|link=yes}}) is the [[Capital (political)|capital]] and largest [[city]] of [[Rwanda]]. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a [[primate city]], Kigali is a relatively new city. It has been Rwanda's economic, cultural, and transport hub since it was founded as an administrative outpost in 1907, and became the capital of the country at independence in 1962, shifting focus away from [[Butare|Huye]].

In an area controlled by the [[Kingdom of Rwanda]] from the 15th century, and then by [[German East Africa|the German Empire]] in the beginning of the 20th century, the city was founded in 1907 when [[Richard Kandt]], [[List of colonial residents of Rwanda|the colonial resident]], chose the site for his headquarters, citing its central location, views and security. Foreign merchants began to trade in the city during the German era, and Kandt opened some government-run schools for [[Tutsi]] Rwandan students. Belgium [[East African campaign (World War I)|took control]] of Rwanda and [[Burundi]] during World War I, forming the mandate of [[Ruanda-Urundi]]. Kigali remained the seat of colonial administration for Rwanda but Ruanda-Urundi's capital was at Usumbura (now [[Bujumbura]]) in Burundi and Kigali remained a small city with a population of just 6,000 at the time of independence.

Kigali grew slowly during the following decades. It was not initially directly affected by the [[Rwandan Civil War]] between government forces and the rebel [[Rwandan Patriotic Front]] (RPF), which began in 1990. However, in April 1994 Rwanda's President [[Juvénal Habyarimana]] was killed when his aircraft [[Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira|was shot down]] near Kigali. His death was followed by the Rwandan genocide against Tutsi, which killed over 1,000,000 Tutsi. The RPF resumed fighting, ending a cease-fire of more than a year. They gradually took control of most of the country and seized Kigali on 4 July 1994. Post-genocide Kigali has experienced rapid population growth, with much of the city rebuilt.

The city of Kigali is one of the five [[provinces of Rwanda]], with boundaries set in 2006. It is divided into three districts—[[Gasabo District|Gasabo]], [[Kicukiro District|Kicukiro]], and [[Nyarugenge District|Nyarugenge]]—which historically had control of significant areas of local governance. Reforms in January 2020 transferred much of the districts' power to the city-wide council. The city also hosts the main residence and offices of the [[president of Rwanda]] and most government ministries. The largest contributor to Kigali's [[gross domestic product]] is the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service sector]], but a significant proportion of the population works in agriculture including small-scale [[subsistence farming]]. Attracting international visitors is a priority for city authorities, including leisure tourism, conferences and exhibitions.

==Etymology==
[[File:Kigali metal word.jpg|thumb|alt=The word Kigali written out by giant metal letters.|Kigali monument in the [[Kigali Car-Free Zone]]]]

The name Kigali comes from the [[Kinyarwanda]] prefix {{lang|rw|ki-}} combined with the adjective suffix {{lang|rw|-gali}}, which means wide or broad. This was originally applied to [[Mount Kigali]], most likely because the mountain itself was broad and wide, with the city later being named after the mountain.<ref name="cia._Rwan">{{Cite web |title=Rwanda |work=The World Factbook |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |date=5 February 2021 |access-date=17 February 2021 |url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/rwanda/}}</ref> According to Rwandan oral history, the name originated in the 14th century.<ref name="LegacyPart1"/> Rwandan scholar [[Alexis Kagame]], who did extensive research into the country's oral history and traditions,{{sfn|Vansina|2005|p=4}} wrote that the name Kigali came into use after King [[Cyilima I Rugwe]] completed a conquest of the area. The legend states that Rugwe viewed the territory from the top of a hill and said ''burya iki gihugu ni kigali'', which translates to "this country is vast".<ref name="LegacyPart1"/>

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Kigali}}

===Pre-colonial period===
<!--[[File:CentralKigali.jpg|thumb|right|Central Kigali]]
[[File:Suburb of Kigali with Mt Kigali in the background.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Kigali]] and one of the northern suburbs]]-->
The earliest inhabitants of what is now Rwanda were the [[Great Lakes Twa|Twa]], a group of aboriginal [[Pygmy peoples|pygmy]] hunter-gatherers who settled the area between 8000 and 3000&nbsp;BC and remain in the country today.{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=44}}{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=61}} They were followed between 700&nbsp;BC and AD&nbsp;1500 by a number of [[Bantu peoples|Bantu]] groups, including the [[Hutu]] and [[Tutsi]], who began clearing forests for agriculture.{{sfn|Mamdani|2002|p=61}}{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=58}} According to oral history, the [[Kingdom of Rwanda]] was founded in the 14th century on the shores of [[Lake Muhazi]], around {{convert|40|km|mi}} east of modern Kigali.{{sfn|Dorsey|1994|p=37}}{{sfn|Munyakazi|Ntagaramba|2005|p=18}}{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=18}}<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Rwanda Development Board]] |url=http://www.rwandatourism.com/destinations/muhazi |via=RwandaTourism.com |title=Muhazi |access-date=6 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325004516/http://www.rwandatourism.com/destinations/muhazi |archive-date=25 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The early kingdom included Kigali but it was a small state at this point in its history with larger and more powerful neighbours, [[Bugesera (kingdom)|Bugesera]] and [[Gisaka]].{{sfn|Dorsey|1994|p=6}}{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=158}}

A member of the Gisaka dynasty killed Rwanda's king [[Ruganzu I Bwimba]] in the 16th century, but Ruganzu's son Cyilima I Rugwe fought back with help from Bugesera and was able to expand Rwanda's territory.{{sfn|Streissguth|2007|pp=21–22}} In the late 16th or early 17th century, the kingdom of Rwanda was invaded from the north by the [[Banyoro]] of modern-day [[Uganda]].{{sfn|Streissguth|2007|pp=21–22}} The king was forced to flee westward, leaving Kigali and eastern Rwanda in the hands of Bugesera and Gisaka.{{sfn|Munyakazi|Ntagaramba|2005|p=18}}{{sfn|Chrétien|2003|p=158}} The formation of a new Rwandan dynasty in the 17th century by the ''mwami'' (king), [[Ruganzu II Ndoli]], followed by eastward invasions and the conquest of Bugesera, marked the beginning of the Rwandan kingdom's dominance in the area.{{sfn|Dorsey|1994|p=39}} The capital of the kingdom was at [[Nyanza, Rwanda|Nyanza]], in the south of the country.{{sfn|Twagilimana|2015|p=175}}

===Colonial period===
[[File:Kandt House Kigali (back view).jpg|thumb|Kigali's first European-style house built for [[Richard Kandt]], now the [[Kandt House Museum of Natural History]]|alt=Photograph of the house with the driveway and a smaller outhouse visible]]
The founding of Kigali is generally dated to 1907, when German administrator and explorer [[Richard Kandt]] was appointed as the first [[List of colonial residents of Rwanda|resident of Rwanda]], and established the city as the headquarters.{{sfn|Cybriwsky|2013|pp=140–141}}<ref name="48HoursInKigali"/><ref name="Centenary"/> Alexis Kagame promoted an alternative theory that the city was established as a capital under Cyilima I Rugwe in either the 1300s or the 1500s. There is little direct evidence for this, however, and the more recent kings of the pre-colonial era are known to have been based at Nyanza.<ref name="Centenary">{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/87691 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=Mainstory: Kigali City through history |date=24 November 2007 |access-date=21 December 2020}}</ref> Rwanda and neighbouring [[Burundi]] had been assigned to Germany by the [[Berlin Conference]] of 1884,{{sfn|Appiah|Gates|2010|p=218}} forming part of [[German East Africa]], and Germany established a presence in the country in 1897 with the formation of an alliance with the king, [[Yuhi V Musinga]].{{sfn|Carney|2013|p=24}} Kandt arrived in 1899, to explore [[Lake Kivu]] and search for the [[source of the Nile]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tabaro |first=Jean de la Croix |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |access-date=11 May 2020 |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/111005/ |title=The story of Kandt and how Kigali came to be the capital city |date=6 July 2014}}</ref>

When Germany decided in 1907 to separate the administration of Rwanda from that of Burundi, Kandt was appointed as resident.{{sfn|Louis|1963|p=146}} He chose to make his headquarters in Kigali due to its central location in the country,<ref name="HistoryOfCity"/> and also because the site on Nyarugenge Hill afforded good views and security.<ref name="HistoryOfCity"/> Kandt's house, located close to the [[central business district]] (CBD), was the first European-style house in the city,<ref name="LegacyPart1"/> and remains in use today as the [[Kandt House Museum of Natural History]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=National Museums of Rwanda |url=http://www.museum.gov.rw/2_museums/kigali/kandt_house/pages_html/intro/page_intro.htm |title=Institute of National Museums of Rwanda |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209092050/http://www.museum.gov.rw/2_museums/kigali/kandt_house/pages_html/intro/page_intro.htm |archive-date=9 December 2008 |access-date=21 May 2020}}</ref> Despite a German ordinance written in 1905, which prohibited "non-indigenous natives" from entering Rwanda,{{sfn|Louis|1963|p=168}} Kandt began permitting the entry of foreign traders in 1908, which allowed commercial activity to begin in Rwanda.{{sfn|Dorsey|1994|p=46}}{{sfn|Louis|1963|p=168}} Kigali's first businesses were established by Greek and Indian merchants,{{sfn|Dorsey|1994|p=46}} with assistance from [[Baganda]] and [[Swahili people]].{{sfn|Linden|Linden|1977|p=103}} Items traded included cloth and beads.{{sfn|Linden|Linden|1977|p=103}} Commercial activity was limited and there were only around 30 firms in the city by 1914.{{sfn|Louis|1963|p=172}} Kandt also opened government-run schools in Kigali, which began educating Tutsi students.{{sfn|Linden|Linden|1977|p=110}}

Belgian forces [[East Africa Campaign (World War I)|took control]] of Rwanda and Burundi during [[World War I]], with Kigali being captured by the Northern Brigade led by Colonel [[Philippe Molitor]] on 6 May 1916.{{sfn|Stapleton|2013|p=164}} The Belgians were granted sovereignty by a [[League of Nations mandate]] in 1922, forming the mandatory territory of [[Ruanda-Urundi]].{{sfn|Prunier|1999|pp=25–26}} In early 1917, Belgium attempted to assert direct rule on the mandate, placing King Musinga under arrest and sidelining Rwandans in the judiciary.{{sfn|Linden|Linden|1977|p=127}} In this period, Kigali was one of two provincial capitals, alongside [[Gisenyi]].{{sfn|Des Forges|2011|p=135}} An agricultural-labour shortage caused by the recruitment of locals to assist the European armies during the war, the plundering of food by soldiers, and torrential rains which destroyed crops, led to [[Rumanura famine|a severe famine]] at the start of the Belgian administration.{{sfn|Des Forges|2011|pp=137–138}} The famine, combined with the difficulty of governing the complex Rwandan society, prompted the Belgians to re-establish the German-style indirect rule at the end of 1917.{{sfn|Linden|Linden|1977|p=130}} Musinga was restored to his throne at Nyanza, with Kigali remaining home to the colonial administration.{{sfn|Des Forges|2011|p=142}}{{sfn|Dorsey|1994|p=275}} This arrangement persisted until the mid-1920s,{{sfn|Des Forges|2011|p=210}} but from 1924 the Belgians began once more to sideline the monarchy, this time permanently.{{sfn|Geary|2003|p=96}} Belgium took over control of dispute resolution, appointment of officials and collection of taxes.{{sfn|Des Forges|2011|p=210}}{{sfn|Stapleton|2017|p=34}} Kigali remained relatively small through the remainder of the colonial era, as much of the administration took place in Ruanda-Urundi's capital [[Usumbura]], now known as Bujumbura in Burundi. Usumbura's population exceeded 50,000 during the 1950s and was the mandate's only European-style city,<ref>{{cite web |oclc=782062177 |publisher=Infor Congo (Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi Information and Public Relations Office) |year=1958 |title=Ruanda Urundi / Preface by Jean-Paul Horroy, governor of Ruanda-Urundi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ntYvAAAAIAAJ}}</ref> while Kigali's population remained at around 6,000 until independence in 1962.<ref name="HistoryOfCity">{{cite news |last=Ntagungura |access-date=24 January 2021 |first=Godfrey |date=20 May 2011 |title=The history of City of Kigali |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/97496}}</ref>

===Post-independence era===
Kigali became the capital upon [[Decolonization#After 1945|Rwandan independence]] in 1962.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/46025/ |title=100 mayors for City centenary celebrations |last=Muramila |first=Gasheegu |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |access-date= 12 March 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Cybriwsky|2013|pp=140–141}} Two other cities were considered: Nyanza, as the traditional seat of the ''mwami'', and the southern city of [[Butare]] (known as Astrida under the Belgians), due to its prominence as a centre of intellect and religion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/rwanda/huye-butare/background/history/a/nar/e45988fd-dd30-42c7-95e2-bee8b0e2c763/1331548 |work=[[Lonely Planet]] |title=History in Huye (Butare) |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> The authorities eventually chose Kigali because of its more central location. The city grew steadily during the following decades; in the early 1970s the population was 25,000 with only five paved roads, and by 1991 it was around 250,000.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=21}} On 5 July 1973 there was [[1973 Rwandan coup d'état|a bloodless military coup]], in which minister of defence Juvénal Habyarimana overthrew ruling president [[Grégoire Kayibanda]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Mohr |first=Charles |date=7 July 1973 |title=Rwanda Coup Traced to Area Rivalry and Poverty |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/07/archives/rwanda-coup-traced-to-area-rivalry-and-poverty-coup-began-before.html |access-date=9 June 2018}}</ref> Military officers had gathered in Kigali for a [[military tattoo]] to commemorate Independence Day a few days earlier, and they began occupying government buildings from dawn on 4 July.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Tablet]] |first=Ian |last=Linden |date=11 August 1973 |access-date=1 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923053633/http://archive.thetablet.co.uk/article/11th-august-1973/3/rwandas-quiet-coup |url=http://archive.thetablet.co.uk/article/11th-august-1973/3/rwandas-quiet-coup |archive-date=23 September 2015 |title=Rwanda's quiet coup |page=3}}</ref> Businesses closed for a few days, and troops patrolled across the city,<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=6 July 1973 |title=Military Coup in Rwanda Follows Tribal Dissension |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/06/archives/military-coup-in-rwanda-follows-tribal-dissension.html |access-date=9 June 2018}}</ref> but the coup was bloodless and life continued as normal, historian [[Gérard Prunier]] describing the reaction as "widespread popular relief".{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=61}} According to a [[United States Department of State|US Department of State]] diplomatic cable sent shortly afterwards, the disruption following the coup was short-lived and the army had left the streets by 11 July.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |date=11 July 1973 |title=Cable: Rwanda Coup |url=https://aad.archives.gov/aad/createpdf?rid=53862&dt=2472&dl=1345 |access-date=2 February 2021}}</ref>

Kigali was not directly affected during the first three years of the 1990–1994 [[Rwandan Civil War]], although the rebel [[Rwandan Patriotic Front]] (RPF) did come close to attacking the city in February 1993.{{sfn|Prunier|1999|p=175}} In December of the same year, following the signing of the [[Arusha Accords (Rwanda)|Arusha Accords]], [[United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda|a United Nations peacekeeping force]] was established in the city, and the RPF were granted use of a building in the city for their diplomats and soldiers.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=130}} In April 1994 President Habyarimana [[Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira|was assassinated]] when his plane was shot down near [[Kigali International Airport]]. Burundian president [[Cyprien Ntaryamira]] was also killed in the attack.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[BBC News]] |date=12 January 2010 |title=Hutus 'killed Rwanda President Juvenal Habyarimana' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8453832.stm |access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref> This was the [[Catalysis|catalyst]] for the [[Rwandan genocide]], in which 500,000–800,000 Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu were killed in well-planned attacks on the orders of the interim government.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=386}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guichaoua |first1=André |title=Counting the Rwandan Victims of War and Genocide: Concluding Reflections |journal=Journal of Genocide Research |date=2020 |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=125–141 |doi=10.1080/14623528.2019.1703329|s2cid=213471539 }} 500,000–800,000 is the range of scholarly estimates listed on the third page of the paper.</ref> Opposition politicians based in Kigali were killed on the first day of the genocide,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13431486 |access-date=11 May 2020 |title=Rwanda: How the genocide happened |work=[[BBC News]] |date=7 May 2011}}</ref> and the city then became the setting for fierce fighting between the army and the RPF including at the latter's base.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|pp=264–265}} The RPF began attacking from the north of the country, and gradually took control of most of Rwanda between April and June.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=288}} After encircling Kigali and cutting off its supply routes,{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=299}} they began fighting for the city itself in mid-June.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=421}} The government forces had superior manpower and weapons but the RPF fought tactically,{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=421}} and were able to exploit the fact that the government forces were concentrating on the genocide rather than the fight for Kigali.{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=421}} The RPF took control of Kigali on 4 July,{{sfn|Dallaire|2005|p=459}} a date now commemorated as [[Liberation Day (Rwanda)|Liberation Day]], a [[Public holidays in Rwanda|Rwandan national holiday]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Official holidays |url=http://www.gov.rw/Official-holidays |access-date=12 November 2013 |publisher=[[Government of Rwanda]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911035627/http://www.gov.rw/Official-holidays |archive-date=11 September 2013 }}</ref>

Since the war and genocide, the city has experienced rapid population growth as a result of migration from other areas, as well as a high birth rate.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=viii}} Buildings that were heavily damaged during the fighting have been demolished, much of the city has been rebuilt, and modern office buildings and infrastructure now exist across the city. A masterplan, adopted by the city and the government in 2013 and supported by international finance and labour, seeks to establish Kigali as a decentralised modern city by 2040.<ref name="KigaliSparkles"/> The development has been accompanied by forced eviction of residents in informal housing zones, however, and groups such as [[Human Rights Watch]] have accused the government of removing poor people and children from the city's streets and moving them to detention centres.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/04/kigali-plan-rwandan-city-afford-new-homes-offices | title=Kigali's future or costly fantasy? Plan to reshape Rwandan city divides opinion| newspaper=The Guardian| date=4 April 2014 |last1=Topping |first1=Alexandra |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |access-date=1 February 2021 |title="Why Not Call This Place a Prison?" – Unlawful Detention and Ill-Treatment in Rwanda's Gikondo Transit Center |date=24 September 2015 |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/09/24/why-not-call-place-prison/unlawful-detention-and-ill-treatment-rwandas-gikondo |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:The view across Kigali in Rwanda at night.jpg|thumb|The view across Kigali in Rwanda at night]]
[[File:Mount Kigali.jpg|thumb|Suburbs on the slopes of [[Mount Kigali]]|alt=Panorama photograph showing houses in foreground, with Mount Kigali in the background]]
Kigali is located in the centre of Rwanda, at 1°57′S 30°4′E.{{sfn|CIA|2007|p=479}} Like the rest of Rwanda it uses [[Central Africa Time]], and is two hours ahead of [[Coordinated Universal Time]] (UTC+02:00) throughout the year.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The EastAfrican]] |title=South Sudan switches to new time zone in February |first=Garang A. |last=Malak |date=29 January 2021 |access-date=9 February 2021 |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/south-sudan-switches-to-new-time-zone-in-february-3273532}}</ref> The city is coterminous with the province of Kigali, one of the five [[provinces of Rwanda]] introduced in 2006 as part of a restructuring of local government in the country. The city has boundaries with the [[Northern Province, Rwanda|Northern]], [[Eastern Province, Rwanda|Eastern]] and [[Southern Province, Rwanda|Southern provinces]].<ref>{{cite news |work=[[BBC News]] |date=3 January 2006 |title=Rwanda redrawn to reflect compass |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4577790.stm |access-date=15 May 2018}}</ref> It is divided into three administrative [[Districts of Rwanda|districts]]—[[Nyarugenge District|Nyarugenge]] in the south west, [[Kicukiro District|Kicukiro]] in the south east, and [[Gasabo District|Gasabo]], which occupies the northern half of the city's territory.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=11}} The built-up urban area covers about 70 per cent of the municipal boundaries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/spip.php?article2 |title=Kigali at a Glance |publisher=City of Kigali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228100441/http://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/spip.php?article2 |archive-date=28 February 2014 |access-date=11 May 2020}}</ref> Kigali lies in a region of rolling hills,{{sfn|Munyakazi|Ntagaramba|2005|p=18}} with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes.{{sfn|REMA|2013|pp=7–8}} It is situated between Mount Kigali and [[Mount Jali]],<ref name="HistoryOfCity"/> both of which have elevations of more than {{convert|1800|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} [[Height above sea level|above sea level]],<ref>{{cite map |publisher=ITMB Publishing |year=2007 |title=Rwanda/Burundi Travel Map |work=International Travel Maps and Books |isbn=978-1-55341-380-6}}</ref> while the lowest areas of the city have an altitude of {{convert|1300|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=7}} Geologically, Kigali is in a [[granitic]] and [[metasedimentary]] region, with [[lateritic]] soils on the hills and [[alluvial]] soils in the valleys.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=5}}

The [[Nyabarongo River]], part of the upper headwaters of the [[Nile River|Nile]],<ref>{{cite news |work=[[BBC News]] |date=31 March 2006 |title=Team reaches Nile's 'true source' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/4864782.stm |access-date=10 November 2015}}</ref> forms the western and southern borders of the administrative city of Kigali,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=4}} although this river lies somewhat outside the built-up urban area.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=6}} The largest river running through the city is the [[Nyabugogo River]], which flows south from Lake Muhazi before flowing west between Mount Kigali and Mount Jali, and draining into the Nyabarongo.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=8}} The Nyabugogo is fed by various smaller streams throughout the city, and its [[drainage basin]] contains most of Kigali's territory,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=8}} other than areas in the south which outflow directly to the Nyabarongo.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=9}} The rivers are flanked by [[wetland]]s, which act as a water store and flood protection for the city, although these are under threat from agriculture and development.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=9}} The "[[Umusambi Village]]" is a restored marshland in Kigali that serves as a shelter for vulnerable [[grey crowned crane]]s.

== Cityscape ==
[[File:KigaliSuburbs.png|thumb|300px|Map showing major suburbs of Kigali|alt=A labelled map of Kigali]]
Kigali's [[Central business district|central business district (CBD)]], sometimes known by the [[Kinyarwanda]] term ''mu mujyi'' ("in town"), is on [[Nyarugenge Hill]] and was the site of the original city founded by Richard Kandt in 1907.<ref name="HistoryOfCity"/> The house that Kandt lived in is now the Kandt House Museum of Natural History.<ref name="LegacyPart1">{{cite news |last=Mbanda |first=Gerald |date=16 September 2014 |title=The Legacy of Dr. Richard Kandt (Part I) |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/180963 |access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref> The CBD is situated towards the western edge of the built-up area,<ref name="HistoryOfCity"/> as the terrain to the east was more suitable for development of the expanding city than the high slopes of Mount Kigali to the west. Several of Rwanda's tallest buildings, including the 20-storey [[Kigali City Tower]], are located in the CBD, as are the headquarters of the country's largest banks and businesses.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kanamugire |first=Johnson |date=26 January 2017 |title=Kigali businesses brace for residential to city centre move |work=[[The EastAfrican]] |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/rwanda/Business/Kigali-businesses-relocation-cbd/1433224-3788684-4509hn/index.html |access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> Other buildings in the CBD include the upmarket [[Kigali Serena Hotel|Serena]], [[Kigali Marriott Hotel|Marriott]] and [[Hôtel des Mille Collines|Mille Collines]] hotels,<ref>{{cite news |last=Mwai |first=Collins |date=26 October 2017 |title=Tourism and hospitality establishments get star grading |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/222431 |access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> the [[University Teaching Hospital of Kigali]],<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Google Maps]] |title=University Teaching Hospital of Kigali |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/University+Teaching+Hospital+of+Kigali/@-1.9559122,30.0582866,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x19dca42c75f67b01:0xe4e18dbc8a3a43c1!8m2!3d-1.9559122!4d30.0604753 |access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> the national university's [[College of Science and Technology (Rwanda)|College of Science and Technology]],<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Google Maps]] |title=UR College of Science and Technology |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/UR+College+of+Science+and+Technology/@-1.9627975,30.0625483,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x19dca5d4dc5fdc5f:0x765befaef1ee5387!8m2!3d-1.9627975!4d30.064737 |access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref> and government buildings such as the [[National Bank of Rwanda]] and the [[Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (Rwanda)|Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Google Maps]] |title=National Bank of Rwanda |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/National+Bank+of+Rwanda/@-1.9487747,30.0615281,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x19dca427b2bb66e7:0x553d93a926674e49!8m2!3d-1.9487747!4d30.0637168 |access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Google Maps]] |title=Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ministry+of+Finance+and+Economic+Planning/@-1.9480402,30.0591087,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x19dca426868a6f27:0xebe4b1b5ed96b3c3!8m2!3d-1.9480402!4d30.0612974 |access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref>

To the south west of the CBD, and also on the Nyarugenge Hill, is the suburb of [[Nyamirambo]].<ref>{{cite web |work=[[The Week]] |date=21 August 2017 |title=Gateway to gorillas: A guide to Kigali |url=http://www.theweek.co.uk/87908/gateway-to-gorillas-a-guide-to-kigali |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref> This was the second part of the city to be settled, being built in the 1920s by the Belgian colonial government as a home for civil servants and Swahili traders. The latter group were mostly members of the [[Islam]]ic faith, which led to Nyamirambo being known as the "Muslim Quarter".<ref>{{cite news |last=Tabaro |first=Jean de la Croix |date=24 July 2014 |title=Know Your History: The birth of Nyamirambo |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/111044 |access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref> Nyamirambo's [[Green Mosque (Kigali)|Green Mosque]] (''Masjid al-Fatah'') is the oldest mosque in Kigali, dating to the 1930s. Travel publisher [[Rough Guides]] described Nyamirambo in 2015 as "Kigali's coolest neighbourhood", citing its multi-cultural status and an active nightlife, which is not found in much of the rest of the city.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Rough Guides]] |url=https://www.roughguides.com/article/nyamirambo-kigalis-coolest-neighbourhood/ |title=Nyamirambo: Kigali's coolest neighbourhood |access-date=6 June 2018 |date=15 May 2015}}</ref> North of Nyamirambo, and west of the CBD is [[Nyabugogo]]. Situated at the lowest part of the city, in the valley of the eponymous Nyabugogo River, Nyabugogo is home to Kigali's principal bus and [[share taxi]] station, with vehicles departing for numerous domestic and international destinations.<ref name="Tumwebaze2">{{cite news |last=Tumwebaze |first=Peterson |date=28 June 2013 |title=Nyabugogo: Where idlers lurk! |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/107647 |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Kigali Golf Club.jpg|thumb|Kigali Golf Club in Nyarutarama|alt=Panorama photograph with the greens and buildings of the golf club visible, as well as hills and houses in the distance]]
The remainder of Kigali's suburbs lie to the east of the CBD, with an [[urban sprawl]] spanning the many hills and ridges. [[Kiyovu]] is the closest, on the eastern slopes of Nyarugenge Hill. The higher part of Kiyovu, to the south of main road [[KN3]], has been home to wealthy foreign residents and Rwandans since colonial times, with large houses and high-end restaurants.<ref name="KiyovuSymmetry"/> The residence of the Rwandan president is located in this area.<ref name="NatGeo">{{cite news |work=[[National Geographic]] |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2020/03/creative-kigali |title=Kigali: how creativity has transformed the Rwandan capital |date=8 March 2020 |first=Emma |last=Gregg |access-date=14 August 2020}}</ref> The lower part of Kiyovu, north of the main road, consisted until 2008 of [[Housing#Informal housing|informal settlements]] that had formed after independence, when strict residence rules were relaxed.<ref name="KiyovuSymmetry">{{cite news |last=Malonza |first=Josephine |date=20 October 2015 |title=The Post-Kiyovu symmetry: A critical analysis |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/193636 |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref> The houses in lower Kiyovu were expropriated by the government in 2008 with residents compensated or relocated to other areas, including to a purpose-built estate in the [[Batsinda]] neighbourhood.

The government has plans to create a new business district in lower Kiyovu to complement the existing CBD, although as of late 2017 there had been only a handful of buildings erected there.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tashobya |first=Athan |date=11 October 2017 |title=Photos: The changing face of Lower Kiyovu |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/221543 |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref> Other eastern suburbs include [[Kacyiru]], home to most government departments and [[Village Urugwiro|the office of the president]];<ref>{{cite news |last=Tumwebaze |first=Peterson |date=23 May 2013 |title=Kabagali: The raggedy side of Kacyiru |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/107290 |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref> [[Gisozi, Rwanda|Gisozi]], where the [[Kigali Genocide Memorial]] is located;<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Kigali Genocide Memorial]] |title=Kigali Genocide Memorial: Getting There |access-date=1 February 2021 |url=http://www.kgm.rw/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430170421/http://www.kgm.rw/ |archive-date=30 April 2018}}</ref> [[Nyarutarama]], an affluent suburb housing the city's only [[golf course]];<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/191644 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |first=Geoffrey |last=Asiimwe |title=Rwanda Golf Union building new luxury country club |date=16 August 2015 |access-date=21 May 2020}}</ref> [[Kimihurura]]; [[Remera]] and [[Kicukiro District#Sectors|Kanombe]], {{convert|10|km|mi}} from the CBD on the eastern edge of the city, where Kigali International Airport is located.{{sfn|Twagilimana|2015|p=217}} Kigali has been ranked the "cleanest city in Africa" in recent years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jha |first=Ramanath |title=The transformation of Kigali into Africa's cleanest city |url=https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/transformation-of-kigali-into-africas-cleanest-city/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=ORF |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Climate==
Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Kigali is in the [[tropical savanna climate]] (''Aw'') zone, with temperatures that are cooler than typical for equatorial countries because of its high elevation.<ref>{{cite web |year=2004 |title=Background Note: Rwanda |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/rwanda/40249.htm |access-date=12 November 2015}}</ref>

The city has an average daily temperature range between {{convert|15|and|27|°C|°F}}, with little variation through the year.<ref name="WorldMeteorologicalOrganization">{{cite web |title=World Weather Information Service – Kigali |publisher=[[World Meteorological Organization]] |url=http://worldweather.wmo.int/127/c00254.htm |access-date=12 November 2015}}</ref> There are two [[Wet season|rainy seasons]] annually, from February to June and from September to December. These are separated by two [[dry season]]s: the major one from June to September, during which there is often no rain at all, and a shorter and less severe one from December to February.{{sfn|King|2007|p=10}} The wettest month is April, with an average rainfall of {{convert|154|mm|in}}, while the driest month is July.<ref name="WorldMeteorologicalOrganization"/> [[Global warming]] has caused a change in the pattern of the rainy seasons. According to a report by the [[Strategic Foresight Group]], change in climate has reduced the number of rainy days experienced during a year, but has also caused an increase in frequency of torrential rains. Strategic Foresight also characterise Rwanda as a rapidly warming country, with an increase in average temperature of between 0.7&nbsp;°C to 0.9&nbsp;°C over the 50 years to 2013.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Strategic Foresight Group]] |year=2013 |title=Blue Peace for the Nile |url=http://www.strategicforesight.com/publication_pdf/84153Blue%20Peace%20for%20the%20Nile.pdf |access-date=4 November 2015}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| width       = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| temperature colour = pastel <!--Do not remove this colour scheme, it is vital for [[MOS:ACCESS]] and was part of the FAC for this article--> 
| location    = [[Kigali Airport]] (1991–2020)
| Jan record high C = 33.4
| Feb record high C = 35.4
| Mar record high C = 34.0
| Apr record high C = 31.2
| May record high C = 31.6
| Jun record high C = 30.8
| Jul record high C = 31.1
| Aug record high C = 32.4
| Sep record high C = 32.8
| Oct record high C = 32.4
| Nov record high C = 30.6
| Dec record high C = 32.0
| year record high C = 35.4
| Jan high C = 27.5
| Feb high C = 27.8
| Mar high C = 27.1
| Apr high C = 26.4
| May high C = 26.3
| Jun high C = 26.7
| Jul high C = 27.4
| Aug high C = 28.2
| Sep high C = 28.2
| Oct high C = 27.4
| Nov high C = 26.3
| Dec high C = 26.8
| year high C = 27.2
| Jan mean C = 21.9
| Feb mean C = 22.0
| Mar mean C = 21.7
| Apr mean C = 21.5
| May mean C = 21.5
| Jun mean C = 21.3
| Jul mean C = 21.4
| Aug mean C = 22.3
| Sep mean C = 22.3
| Oct mean C = 21.9
| Nov mean C = 21.2
| Dec mean C = 21.5
| year mean C = 21.7
| Jan low C = 16.2
| Feb low C = 16.3
| Mar low C = 16.2
| Apr low C = 16.5
| May low C = 16.6
| Jun low C = 16.0
| Jul low C = 15.4
| Aug low C = 16.4
| Sep low C = 16.4
| Oct low C = 16.3
| Nov low C = 16.1
| Dec low C = 16.2
| year low C = 16.2
| Jan record low C = 12.0
| Feb record low C = 12.4
| Mar record low C = 12.9
| Apr record low C = 12.5
| May record low C = 13.0
| Jun record low C = 12.4
| Jul record low C = 7.7
| Aug record low C = 11.0
| Sep record low C = 11.2
| Oct record low C = 11.6
| Nov record low C = 12.8
| Dec record low C = 12.0
| year record low C = 7.7
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 84.2
| Feb precipitation mm = 83.9
| Mar precipitation mm = 129.1
| Apr precipitation mm = 135.5
| May precipitation mm = 88.7
| Jun precipitation mm = 20.3
| Jul precipitation mm = 10.2
| Aug precipitation mm = 30.2
| Sep precipitation mm = 64.8
| Oct precipitation mm = 108.8
| Nov precipitation mm = 121.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 76.4
| year precipitation mm = 953.5
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 8.5
| Feb precipitation days = 7.8
| Mar precipitation days = 12.9
| Apr precipitation days = 14.4
| May precipitation days = 9.8
| Jun precipitation days = 2.3
| Jul precipitation days = 0.9
| Aug precipitation days = 3.6
| Sep precipitation days = 7.9
| Oct precipitation days = 12.5
| Nov precipitation days = 13.6
| Dec precipitation days = 9.9
| year precipitation days = 104.2
| source 1 = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="WMONormalsKigaliAero">{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Rwanda/CSV/KIGALI_AERO_64387.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Kigali Aero
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = June 16, 2024}}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
[[File:Green mosque Kigali.jpg|thumb|The Green Mosque (Masjid-al-Fatah) in Nyamirambo|alt=Photograph of the mosque from the street, with a small local shop visible in the foreground]]
As of the 2012 Rwandan census, the population of Kigali was 1,132,686,{{sfn|NISR|2012a|p=10}} of which 859,332 were urban residents.{{sfn|NISR|2012a|p=10}} The population density was {{convert|1552|PD/km2|PD/sqmi}}.{{sfn|NISR|2012a|p=15}} At the time of independence in 1962, Kigali had 6,000 inhabitants, consisting primarily of those associated with the Belgian colonial residency.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tumwebaze |first=Peterson |date=26 July 2007 |title=Kigali, vast area through 100 years |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/604 |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref> It grew considerably after being named as the independent nation's capital,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=21}} although it remained a relatively small city until the 1970s due to government policies restricting [[urbanization|rural-to-urban migration]].<ref name="RurbanAfrica">{{cite web |url=http://rurbanafrica.ku.dk/publications/urban-briefs/rurbanafrica-state-of-the-art-report-3.pdf |pages=2–4 |publisher=[[UCPH Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management]] |title=State of the Art Report for RurbanAfrica, Work Package 3: City Dynamics |access-date=24 January 2021}}</ref> The population reached 115,000 by 1978, and 235,000 by 1991.<ref name="RurbanAfrica"/> The city lost a large fraction of its people during the 1994 genocide,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=1}} including those killed and those who fled to neighbouring countries.<ref name="RurbanAfrica"/> From 1995 the economy began to recover and large numbers of long-term Tutsi refugees returned from Uganda.<ref name="RurbanAfrica"/> Many of these refugees settled in Kigali and other urban areas, due to difficulty in obtaining land in other parts of the country.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=24}} This phenomenon, coupled with a high birth rate and increased rural-to-urban migration,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=viii}} meant that Kigali reattained its previous size quite quickly and began to grow even more rapidly than before.<ref name="RurbanAfrica"/> The population exceeded 600,000 in 2002, and in the 2012 census had almost doubled to 1.13&nbsp;million, although this was in part because the administrative boundaries of the city had been expanded.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=21}}

As of the 2012 census, 51.7 per cent of residents were male.{{refn|group=nb|From {{harvnb|NISR|2012a|p=6}}: <nowiki>586,123 / 1,132,686 = 51.7 per cent</nowiki>}} The [[Rwanda Environment Management Authority]] hypothesised that the high male-to-female ratio was due to a tendency for men to migrate to the city in search of work outside the agricultural sector, while their wives remained in a rural home.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=29}} The population is young, with 73 per cent of residents being less than 30 years old,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=29}} and 94 per cent under the age of 50.{{refn|group=nb|From {{harvnb|NISR|2012a|p=64}}: <nowiki>Sum of columns up to 45–49, and divide by 1,132,686</nowiki>}} The city has a higher proportion of 14–35 year olds than the Rwanda average, with 50.3 per cent versus 39.6 per cent nationwide.{{sfn|NISR|2012b|pp=107–108}} Children between birth and seventeen (i.e. < 18) years of age have a below-average share of the total, with 39.6 per cent against 47.7 per cent nationally. These differences are attributed by the [[National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda]] (NISR) to the migration of working-age Rwandans from rural to urban areas.{{sfn|NISR|2012b|pp=97–99}} Similarly, Kigali has a lower level of over-60s, with 2.6 per cent, than the Rwanda average of 4.9 per cent, also likely reflecting the tendency for non-working-age inhabitants to live rurally.{{sfn|NISR|2012b|pp=125–127}} In 2014, the proportion of people classified as living in poverty within Kigali was 15 per cent, compared with 37 per cent for Rwanda as a whole.{{sfn|UNDP|2015|p=32}} The 2012 census recorded a workforce of 487,000 in Kigali.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=30}} The city's biggest employment sector is agriculture, fishing and forestry, covering 24 per cent of the workforce; utilities and financial services with 21 per cent; trade 20 per cent and government 12 per cent.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=30}}

In 2018 Kigali scored 0.632 on the [[Human Development Index]] (HDI), a composite measure of life expectancy and health, education, and standard of living.<ref name="GlobalDataLab"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi |title=Human Development Index (HDI) |publisher=[[UNDP]] |access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref> This figure had risen or remained the same every year since 1992, except during the civil war, when the figure was 0.223. It is also the highest of Rwanda's five provinces with the next highest, the Northern Province, recording an HDI of 0.531.<ref name="GlobalDataLab"/> Analysts at the [[World Bank]] attribute the gains in HDI seen across Rwanda as a whole to a "strong focus on homegrown policies and initiatives", which have accompanied economic growth.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/rwanda/overview |access-date=3 January 2021 |title=Rwanda Overview |publisher=[[World Bank]]}}</ref>

As with Rwanda as a whole, Christianity is the dominant religion in Kigali. In the 2012 census, 42.1 per cent of the city's inhabitants identified as [[Protestantism|Protestant]] with a further 9.1 per cent following [[Adventism]], which was classified separately. [[Catholicism|Catholics]] formed 36.8 per cent of the population. [[Islam in Rwanda|Islam]] is more prevalent in Kigali than elsewhere in Rwanda, with 5.7 per cent of people following the faith compared with 2.0 per cent nationwide. [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] form 1.2 per cent and other faiths 0.3 per cent, while those who profess no religion number 3.0 per cent.{{sfn|NISR|2014|p=19}}

==Economy==
[[File:Kigali skyline closeup 2.jpg|thumb|Buildings in Kigali CBD, including [[Kigali City Tower]] ''(right)''|alt=Photograph of buildings in Kigali CBD]]

Kigali is the [[Financial centre|economic and financial hub]] of Rwanda, serving as the country's main port of entry and largest business centre.<ref name="KigaliSparkles">{{Cite web |url=https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2016/kigali-sparkles-hills |first=Busani |last=Bafana |access-date=11 May 2020 |title=Kigali sparkles on the hills |publisher=[[United Nations]] |work=[[Africa Renewal]]|date=30 March 2016 }}</ref> The NISR does not maintain detailed economic data for subnational entities in Rwanda, but economists have used various measures to estimate the city's output. A 2015 working paper by the World Bank Policy Research unit used the amount of light visible at night in different regions as a proxy for relative [[gross domestic product]] (GDP), and found that the three districts of Kigali represented 42 per cent of Rwanda's total night-light output.{{sfn|Bundervoet|Parby|Nakamura|Choi|2017|p=18}}{{sfn|Bundervoet|Maiyo|Sanghi|2015|pp=21–23}} When translated, this gives a total city GDP of approximately US$1.8&nbsp;billion or $1,619 per capita,{{refn|group=nb|<nowiki>Total GDP calculated as sum of Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge districts: $925,037,044 + $537,601,961 + $371,304,245 = $1,833,943,250.</nowiki>{{sfn|Bundervoet|Maiyo|Sanghi|2015|pp=21–23}} Per-capita figure assumes a city population of 1,132,686.{{sfn|NISR|2012a|p=10}}}} compared with a national average of $436 per capita.{{sfn|Bundervoet|Maiyo|Sanghi|2015|pp=21–23}} Another 2015 World Bank study measured the total turnover of registered companies in the country, as reported to the [[Rwanda Revenue Authority]], and found that 92 per cent of these were from the city of Kigali. However, the authors noted that this figure excluded turnover from small-scale farming, and was also inflated for companies headquartered in Kigali with revenue generated elsewhere in Rwanda.{{sfn|World Bank|2016|p=14}} Official statistics classify economic activity as either "farm" or "non-farm", and Kigali accounts for 39 per cent of non-farm waged employees in the country.{{sfn|Bundervoet|Parby|Nakamura|Choi|2017|p=18}}

[[File:Kigali Market (02).jpg|thumb|A market in Kigali|alt=Interior photograph of the market, showing fruit available for sale as well as a hoarding advertising Airtel]]

In 2013, the economy was reported to be dependent on foreign aid and illegal resource extraction from the DRC.{{sfn|Cassimon et al.|2013|p=54}} <!-- "The Kigali economy, which is virtually disconnected from the Rwandan economy as a whole, was largely dependent on mineral and other extraction in the DRC (as well as on international aid)." --> The largest contributor to Kigali's economy is the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|service sector]]. The World Bank estimates that services contributed 53 per cent of GDP in 2014,{{sfn|Bundervoet|Parby|Nakamura|Choi|2017|p=18}} while a 2012 study by [[Surbana International Consultants]] put the figure at almost 62 per cent.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=37}} Activity within the service sector includes retail, information technology, transport and hotels, and real estate. The city authorities have prioritised business services for expansion, constructing several modern buildings in the CBD such as the Kigali City Tower. Attracting international visitors is a priority for both the city and the [[Rwanda Development Board]],{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=37}} including leisure tourism, conferences and exhibitions. Kigali is the major arrival point for tourists visiting Rwanda's national parks and tracking [[mountain gorilla]]s,<ref name="KigaliTheNewEvents"/> and has its own sites of interest such as the Kigali Genocide Memorial and ecotourist facilities, as well as bars, coffee shops and restaurants.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/12/travel/what-to-do-36-hours-in-kigali-rwanda.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=Debra |last=Kamin |title=36 Hours in Kigali, Rwanda |date=12 January 2018 |access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/12/rwanda-build-ecotourism-park-kigali/ |first=Emmanuel |last=Hitimana |publisher=[[Inter Press Service]] |title=Rwanda to Build Ecotourism Park in Kigali |date=2 December 2018 |access-date=21 May 2020}}</ref> Expansion of destinations by carrier [[RwandAir]] and building of new facilities such as the [[Kigali Convention Centre]] has attracted events to Kigali including the [[African Development Bank]]'s 2014 Annual General Assembly,<ref name="KigaliTheNewEvents">{{cite news |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/All-roads-lead-to-Kigali-the-new-events-capital-of-East-Africa-/434746-2792616-9qxc8rz/index.html |title=Kigali steadily grows as a hub for meetings, conferences and exhibitions |work=[[The EastAfrican]] |date=18 July 2015 |first=Gilbert |last=Mwijuke |access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref> and a 2018 extraordinary summit of the [[African Union]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/2018-review-rwanda-track-become-meetings-conferences-hub |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=2018 in review: Rwanda on track to become a meetings, conferences hub |access-date=21 May 2020 |date=27 December 2018 |first=Julius |last=Bizimungu}}</ref> [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2020|The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]] was held in the city in June 2022, with attendees including [[Charles, Prince of Wales]], and national leaders,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2019/07/11/18-months-save-world-prince-charles-urges-commonwealth-leaders/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2019/07/11/18-months-save-world-prince-charles-urges-commonwealth-leaders/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |title=We have 18 months to save world, Prince Charles warns Commonwealth leaders |first=Hannah |last=Furness |date=11 July 2019 |access-date=29 April 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> having been postponed from June 2020 as a result of [[COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda|the COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/postponement-chogm-2020-due-covid-19 |title=Postponement of CHOGM 2020 due to Covid-19 |date=21 April 2020 |publisher=[[Commonwealth of Nations]] |access-date=29 April 2020}}</ref>

The city's largest employment sector is agriculture, fishing and forestry, representing 24 per cent of the workforce.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=30}} Farmland comprised over 60 per cent of the land within the city's boundaries in 2012,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=7}} mostly in the outer areas surrounding the urban core.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=47}} As is the case nationwide,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/rwandas-agricultural-revolution-is-not-the-success-it-claims-to-be-86712 |work=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |date=13 December 2017 |title=Rwanda's agricultural revolution is not the success it claims to be |access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> much of the agriculture in Kigali is subsistence farming on small plots, but there are some larger modern farms close to the city, particularly in Gasabo district, which has the highest average area of cultivated land per household in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.statistics.gov.rw/file/1686/download?token=Iy1lSSWB |access-date=30 April 2020 |title=EICV3 District Profile: Kigali – Gasabo |publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda]] |year=2012}}</ref> Other major employment areas in the city are government, which comprises 12 per cent of the workforce, transportation and communication, construction, and manufacturing. The NISR classifies 21 per cent of the workforce as being employed in "other services" such as utilities and financial services,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=30}} the latter including banking, pensions, insurance, microfinance,<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Rwanda Development Board]] |title=Investment opportunities: Financial services |access-date=11 May 2020 |url=https://rdb.rw/investment-opportunities/financial-services/}}</ref> and the [[Rwanda Stock Exchange]], which launched in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rse.rw/About-Us/Vision-Mission-and-Values/ |publisher=[[Rwanda Stock Exchange]] |title=Vision, Mission, and Values |access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref>

Industry in Kigali formed only 14 per cent of the city's GDP in 2014, focused on a small industrial zone set up in the 1970s.{{sfn|Bundervoet|Parby|Nakamura|Choi|2017|p=18}} Challenges for the sector include the high cost of importing raw materials into a land-locked country, as well as substandard infrastructure and a lack of skilled workers.<ref name="FT">{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/4fd23ff8-ded6-11e4-b9ec-00144feab7de |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/4fd23ff8-ded6-11e4-b9ec-00144feab7de |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |work=[[Financial Times]] |first=Katrina |last=Manson |title=Businesses relocate to Rwanda's new Special Economic Zone |date=24 April 2015 |access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref> In 2011, the parliament passed a law establishing [[special economic zone]]s in Rwanda,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/67988 |title=Kigali Special Economic Zone ready, official says |date=1 August 2013 |access-date=30 April 2020 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]}}</ref> the first of which was established in 2014 on Masoro Hill in Gasabo district, close to Kigali International Airport.<ref name="KSEZI">{{cite news |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=1 June 2017 |access-date=11 May 2020 |title=Kigali Special Economic Zone impacts Rwanda's industrial growth |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/advertorial/913}}</ref> Companies operating within the zone benefit from good infrastructure, availability of land and transport links, as well as tax breaks. It attracted 61 businesses in its first year of operation, manufacturing products such as paper and foam mattresses.<ref name="FT"/> As the zone grew over subsequent years, further businesses relocated there from other parts of the capital such as the Gikondo Industrial Park.<ref name="KSEZI"/> The city sits close to deposits of [[cassiterite]], an ore used to obtain [[tin]], as well as [[tungsten]]. Cassiterite is mined in the town of [[Rutongo]], around {{convert|10|km|mi}} north of Kigali,<ref>{{cite web |title=Cassiterite from Nyamiumba Mine, Rutongo area, Kigali City Province, Rwanda |access-date=11 May 2020 |publisher=[[Mindat.org]] |url=https://www.mindat.org/locentry-687173.html}}</ref> while tungsten is mined at [[Nyakabingo]], a similar distance away.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=11 May 2020 |publisher=[[Mindat.org]] |title=Nyakabingo Mine, Kigali, Kigali City Province, Rwanda |url=https://www.mindat.org/loc-636.html}}</ref> Much of the raw mineral is exported out of Rwanda for processing, but there are some local processing facilities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://rwandatoday.africa/business/Despite-pressure--govt-will-not-ban-raw-mineral-exports/4383192-4824338-vnnyk2z/index.html |work=Rwanda Today |first=Kabona |last=Esiara |title=Despite pressure, govt will not ban raw mineral exports |date=28 October 2018 |access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> This includes the [[Karuruma smelter]] in the northern suburbs of Kigali, which was built in the 1980s and was able to produce up to {{convert|1800|tonnes|LT ST}} of pure tin per year as of 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.miningreview.com/event-news/luma-holding-investing-in-a-rwandan-smelter/ |work=Mining Review Africa |date=26 September 2019 |access-date=1 May 2020 |title=Investing in a smelter in Rwanda |archive-date=19 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119112813/https://www.miningreview.com/event-news/luma-holding-investing-in-a-rwandan-smelter/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Governance and politics==
[[File:Suburban Sprawl in Kigali.jpg|thumb|Kigali City Hall ''(right)''|alt=Panorama photograph showing buildings, car parks and a street with cars]]
Kigali is a province-level city, one of the five provinces of Rwanda. The area under the city's jurisdiction has been expanded several times since Rwandan independence,{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=1}} the current boundaries being established through a 2005 law as part of local-government restructuring. The law gave the city government responsibility for strategic planning and urban development, as well as liaising with the three constituent districts and monitoring the districts' development plans.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Ministry of Local Government (Rwanda) |date=August 2007 |title=Rwanda Decentralization Strategic Framework |url=http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/webfm_send/2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329024025/http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/webfm_send/2014 |archive-date=29 March 2013 |access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> Like other provinces, Kigali is divided into districts—Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge—which are in turn divided into 35 sectors.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=11}}

From January 2020, a new administrative system for Kigali was introduced, after a law was passed by the national parliament the previous year.<ref name="OperatingNewStructure">{{cite news |first=Lavie |last=Mutanganshuro |date=20 January 2020 |title=Kigali City starts operating under new structure |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/kigali-city-starts-operating-under-new-structure |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref> Under the previous system, in effect since 2002, power was significantly devolved to the districts which were led by their own mayors, managing infrastructure and levying taxes, around 30 per cent of which were passed to the city-wide authority.<ref name="KigaliCityStructure">{{cite news |url=https://www.chronicles.rw/2019/04/18/new-kigali-city-structure-districts-lose-budgeting-planning-role/ |work=The Chronicles |first=Celestin |last=Ndereyehe |date=18 April 2019 |access-date=1 May 2020 |title=New Kigali City Structure: Districts Lose Budgeting, Planning Role}}</ref> The changes, implemented with the goal of reducing bureaucracy and inefficiency,<ref name="OperatingNewStructure"/> gave the city council much greater power including control of the budget.<ref name="GetsActingMayor"/> The districts ceased to be separate legal entities, their mayors being replaced by district executive administrators appointed by the national government.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ktpress.rw/2020/02/kigali-city-district-mayors-dropped/ |publisher=KT Press |title=Kigali City District Mayors Dropped |first=Jean de la Croix |last=Tabaro |date=7 February 2020 |access-date=1 May 2020}}</ref>

The city council is composed of eleven individuals, down from 33 in the old system.<ref name="GetsActingMayor">{{cite news |url=https://www.chronicles.rw/2019/08/05/kigali-city-gets-acting-mayor-as-government-begins-implementing-new-law/ |access-date=1 May 2020 |date=5 August 2019 |work=The Chronicles |title=Kigali City Gets Acting Mayor As Government Begins Implementing New Law}}</ref> Six of the council members are directly elected by the public, each district electing one man and one woman. The remaining five members are appointed by the president of Rwanda, subject to the approval of the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]. Each council member serves for a renewable five-year term.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=59 |publisher=City of Kigali |title=Responsibilities of the Council of the City of Kigali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501195509/https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=59 |archive-date=1 May 2020 |access-date=1 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The executive branch of the city government is headed by the mayor, who is elected via a complex [[electoral college]] system, with the electorate voting for delegates at the sub-sector village level, who go on to elect other delegates through each level of the administrative hierarchy.<ref name="KigaliCityStructure"/> The mayor and two deputy mayors form the executive committee, which reports to the council and implements its decisions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=24 |publisher=City of Kigali |title=City Leadership: Executive Committee |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501203103/https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=24 |archive-date=1 May 2020 |access-date=1 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2023 the incumbent mayor is [[Samuel Dusengiyumva]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/news-detail/dusengiyumva-samuel-sworn-in-as-the-new-city-of-kigali-mayor |title=Dusengiyumva Samuel sworn in as the new City of Kigali Mayor |first= |last= |access-date=25 December 2023}}</ref> Notable [[List of mayors of Kigali|past mayors]] include [[Francois Karera]], who held the post from 1975 to 1990 under the presidency of Juvénal Habyarimana, and [[Rose Kabuye]], who had fought with the RPF during the Rwandan Civil War and was the first post-genocide mayor from 1994 to 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=50&L=0 |publisher=City of Kigali |title=City of Kigali Mayors since 1994 |access-date=1 May 2020 |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802215433/https://kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=50&L=0 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Day-to-day budget and staff management are the responsibility of a city manager,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=26 |publisher=City of Kigali |title=Responsibilities of the City Manager |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501203535/https://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/index.php?id=26 |archive-date=1 May 2020 |access-date=1 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> appointed by [[Prime Minister of Rwanda|the prime minister]].<ref name="GetsActingMayor"/>

In addition to the city government, most Rwandan government offices are located in Kigali, particularly in the suburbs of Kacyiru and Kimihurura.<ref name="SeeksOwnOffices">{{cite news |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Rwanda-government-seeks-to-own-its-offices/2560-4978348-wlev6j/index.html |work=[[The EastAfrican]] |date=12 February 2019 |title=Rwanda government seeks to own its offices |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> This includes Village Urugwiro in Kacyiru, which is the office of the president,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/kagame-receive-credentials-10-new,envoys |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=30 January 2020 |title=Kagame receives credentials for 10 new envoys |first=Ange |last=Iliza |access-date=10 May 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and the [[Chamber of Deputies (Rwanda)|Chamber of Deputies]] and [[Senate (Rwanda)|Senate]] in Kimihurura.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=21 May 2020 |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/journey-rwandan-parliament |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=The journey of the Rwandan parliament |first=James |last=Karuhanga |date=4 July 2019}}</ref>

===Crime and policing===
[[File:Police car in Rwanda.jpg|thumb|Rwanda National Police car on a Kigali street|alt=View of a police car following another car on a street.]]
In common with the rest of the country, policing in Kigali is provided by the [[Rwanda National Police]] (RNP).<ref name="Our Mission and Vision">{{cite web |url=https://police.gov.rw/about-rnp/our-mission-and-vision/ |publisher=[[Rwanda National Police]] |title=Our Mission and Vision |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref> The city falls within RNP's central division, which is headed as of 2020 by Assistant Commissioner of Police Felly Rutagerura Bahizi.<ref name="Our Mission and Vision"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/230094 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=Road safety campaign taken to commercial motorcyclists |date=14 February 2018 |access-date=21 December 2020}}</ref> The United States government's [[Overseas Security Advisory Council]] (OSAC) praises the RNP's professionalism, but notes that it lacks specialist skills in dealing with policing tasks such as investigation, counter-terrorism, bomb disposal, and forensics. OSAC also notes that the RNP has limited resources on the ground, stating that police are often "unable to respond to an emergency call in a timely manner", and that police patrols are more focused on terrorism than crime.<ref name="OSAC">{{cite web |title=Rwanda 2019 Crime & Safety Report |access-date=31 December 2020 |publisher=[[Overseas Security Advisory Council]] |url=https://www.osac.gov/Country/Rwanda/Content/Detail/Report/807911aa-6005-4d1b-b795-15f4aeb96095}}</ref>

Despite this, Kigali has a reputation for being a relatively safe city. The ''[[Lonely Planet]]'' guidebook describes it as "a genuine contender for the safest capital in Africa", while Bert Archer of [[BBC Travel]] described it as "clean and safe".<ref>{{cite news |publisher=[[BBC Travel]] |title=The most inviting city in Africa? |first=Bert |last=Archer |date=6 January 2020 |access-date=31 December 2020 |url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200105-the-most-inviting-city-in-africa }}</ref> In a 2015 interview with ''[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]'', then-commander of the central division Rogers Rutikanga cited "efficient operations and daily surveillance" as the means by which the city was policed. Rutikanga noted that there were crimes related to burglary, drugs, assault and robbery, as well as petty crime and pickpocketing, but that numbers were kept low through [[community policing]] and engagement with schools, businesses, municipal government and social service providers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/186466 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=Creating a crime-free Kigali |date=1 March 2015 |access-date=21 December 2020}}</ref> In its advice to overseas visitors, OSAC states that there is a "moderate risk from crime in Kigali", but notes that such crime is rarely violent. It cites pickpocketing and petty theft as the biggest concerns for foreigners within the city.<ref name="OSAC"/> Rwanda as a whole has lower crime rates than other countries in East Africa. In 2014–15, the [[List of countries by intentional homicide rate|number of intentional homicides per 100,000 people]] was 2.52 in the country, compared with 11.52 for Uganda, 6.95 for Tanzania, 4.79 for Kenya, and 4.52 for Burundi.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dataunodc.un.org/crime/intentional-homicide-victims |title=Intentional Homicide Victims |publisher=[[United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]] |access-date=31 December 2020}}</ref>

Although the constitution allows [[freedom of assembly]], with protests and demonstrations allowed with a permit, such gatherings in Rwanda are rare. The US political freedom research institute [[Freedom House]] states that fear of arrest serves as a deterrent for most such protests, and that the police often disperse protests even when they have official permission.<ref name="OSAC"/><ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Freedom House]] |title=Freedom in the World 2020: Rwanda |access-date=31 December 2020 |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/rwanda/freedom-world/2020}}</ref> Those gatherings which do take place are mostly peaceful and crime-free. OSAC's report assesses the city's terrorism risk as "minimal".<ref name="OSAC"/>

==Culture==
[[File:Rwanda IntoreDancers.jpg|thumb|Traditional dancers at Gasogi village in the east of Kigali|alt=Photograph depicting two male dancers with straw wigs, neck garments, spears and sticks]]
Kigali was not historically the hub of Rwanda's cultural heritage. For example, the country's traditional dance, a choreographed routine consisting of three components, originated in the royal court at Nyanza.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Rwanda Development Gateway]] |title=National Ballet&nbsp;– Urukerereza |url=http://www.rwandagateway.org/spip.php?article211 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314152054/http://www.rwandagateway.org/spip.php?article211 |archive-date=14 March 2012 |access-date=25 May 2020}}</ref> However, the capital is now home to many groups which perform the dance including the LEAF community arts troupe,<ref>{{cite news |title=APF Rwanda participants enjoy cultural dinner |publisher=[[United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa]] |first=Timothy |last=Moore |url=https://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1781080/apf-rwanda-participants-enjoy-cultural-dinner/ |access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> whose founding members were eighteen homeless orphaned children,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2010-11-02/rwanda-dancing-streets |work=[[The World (radio program)|The World]] |title=Rwanda: Dancing off the streets |last=Rosen |first=Jon |date=2 November 2010 |access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> and ''Indatirwabahizi'', a cultural troupe affiliated with the city government.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |last=Asiimwe |first=Geoffrey |title=Five teams set for EAC Local Authorities Sports and Cultural Games |date=24 November 2016 |access-date=25 May 2020 |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/205654}}</ref> Drums are of great importance in traditional Rwandan music; the royal drummers enjoyed high status within the court of the ''mwami''. Drummers play together in groups of varying sizes, usually between seven and nine in number.{{sfn|Adekunle|2007|pp=135–139}} Traditional music and songs are performed in venues across the city by acts such as the [[Gakondo Group]] led by [[Massamba Intore]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/apr/11/rwanda-kigali-reborn-culture-heart-soul |work=[[The Guardian]] |title=Rwanda reborn: Kigali's culture, heart and soul |access-date=18 January 2021 |first=Kit |last=Buchan |date=11 April 2014}}</ref>

Rwanda and Kigali have a growing popular music industry, influenced by African Great Lakes, Congolese, and American music. The most popular genre is [[hip hop]], with a blend of [[dancehall]], [[rap]], [[ragga]], [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] and [[dance-pop]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Mbabazi |first=Linda |date=11 May 2008 |title=Hip Hop Dominating Music Industry |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2008-05-11/3642/ |access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> Since 2011, the [[Kigali Up]] music festival has been held annually in July or August.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/entertainment/kigaliup-back |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=KigaliUp is back, but... |first=Moses |last=Opobo |date=17 July 2018 |access-date=23 December 2020}}</ref> Artists from Rwanda and other countries perform music in a variety of styles including reggae and blues, with audiences of several thousands. Some of the musicians also give lessons to attendees during the festival. The [[Hobe Rwanda Festival]], held in September, features music as well as dance and local art.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Rwanda Development Board]] |access-date=24 January 2021 |title=Festivals and Events |url=https://www.visitrwanda.com/interests/festivals-and-events/ |website=VisitRwanda.com }}</ref>

A number of films about the Rwandan genocide have been filmed in Kigali, including ''[[100 Days (2001 film)|100 Days]]'', ''[[Sometimes in April]]'', ''[[Shooting Dogs]]'' and ''[[Shake Hands with the Devil (2007 film)|Shake Hands with the Devil]]''. Others, such as ''[[Hotel Rwanda]]'', were set in the city but filmed in other countries. Several of the films featured survivors as cast members.{{sfn|Fegley|2016|p=55}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |date=29 March 2006 |title=Flashback to terror: Survivors of Rwandan genocide watch screening of Shooting Dogs |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/flashback-to-terror-survivors-of-rwandan-genocide-watch-screening-of-shooting-dogs-6105247.html |access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> Kigali also has a growing domestic film industry which began in the early 2000s with the Rwanda Film Centre, founded by journalist [[Eric Kabera]]. One of the centre's goals was to diversify the subjects covered by Rwandan films beyond the genocide theme, presenting other aspects of the country.<ref name="IndependentHillywood"/> In 2005, Kabera inaugurated the [[Rwanda Film Festival]] which takes place annually at venues in the capital and elsewhere,{{sfn|Briggs|Connolly|2018|p=106}} giving it the nickname "Hillywood", a portmanteau word combining Rwanda's nickname "land of a thousand hills" with [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]].<ref name="IndependentHillywood">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/welcome-to-hillywood-how-rwandas-film-industry-emerged-from-genocides-shadow-463541.html |work=[[The Independent]] |title=Welcome to Hillywood: how Rwanda's film industry emerged from genocide's shadow |first=Steve |last=Bloomfield |date=30 August 2007 |access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref> The term is also used for Rwanda's film industry in general.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/104533 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=20 October 2012 |title=Hillywood: Telling the Rwandan story on film |access-date=26 May 2020}}</ref>

On Genocide Memorial Day, a [[public holidays in Rwanda|national holiday]] observed every year on 7 April, the Kigali Genocide Memorial hosts ''Kwibuka'', during which the president lights a "flame of hope" and addresses the nation.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=[[Radio France International]] |url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20200407-rwandan-genocide-commemoration-dampened-covid-19-lockdown-coronavirus-france |title=Rwandan genocide commemorations dampened by Covid-19 lockdown |date=7 April 2020 |access-date=14 August 2020}}</ref> This is followed by an official week of mourning and, on 4 July, the Liberation Day holiday.{{sfn|Watson|Renzi|Viggiani|2010|p=25}}
Along with the rest of Rwanda, the last Saturday of each month in Kigali is ''[[umuganda]]'', a morning of mandatory [[community service]] lasting from 8{{nbsp}}am to 11{{nbsp}}am.<ref name="48HoursInKigali">{{cite news |title=Kigali city guide: where to eat, drink, shop and stay in Rwanda's charming capital |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/48-hours-in/kigali-city-guide-things-to-do-best-hotels-restaurants-rwanda-a8819566.html |work=[[The Independent]] |first=Heather |last=Richardson |date=13 March 2019 |access-date=14 August 2020}}</ref> All able-bodied people between 18 and 65 are expected to carry out community tasks such as cleaning streets or building homes for vulnerable people. Most normal services close down during ''umuganda'', and public transportation is limited.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Rwanda Governance Board |title=Umuganda |url=http://www.rgb.rw/governance-innovations/umuganda/ |access-date=8 September 2015 |archive-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020232922/http://www.rgb.rw/governance-innovations/umuganda/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Kigali's cuisine is similar to [[Rwandan cuisine|that of the rest of the country]]. For those reliant on subsistence agriculture, local [[staple food]]s include bananas, plantains (known as ''[[ibitoke]]''), [[pulse (legume)|pulses]], [[sweet potato]]es, beans, and [[cassava]] (manioc).{{sfn|Adekunle|2007|p=81}} These staple foods are also served in restaurants across the city, often as part of a ''mélange'', a self-service buffet meal which can also include meat, [[French fries|chips]] or fish.{{sfn|Briggs|Booth|2006|pp=54–55}} Cassava leaves are often combined with onions and other ingredients to make a stew dish known as ''isombe''.{{sfn|Adekunle|2007|p=94}} [[Brochette]]s are the most popular food when eating out in the evening, usually made from goat but sometimes [[tripe]], beef or fish.{{sfn|Briggs|Booth|2006|pp=54–55}} The city has restaurants serving dishes from outside the country, including [[Chinese cuisine|Chinese]], [[French cuisine|French]], [[Indian cuisine|Indian]], and [[Italian cuisine|Italian]].{{sfn|Briggs|Booth|2006|pp=54–55}} Popular drinks include ''ikivuguto'', a fermented milk, and urwagwa [[banana beer]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The significance & evolution of Ikivuguto |last=Ninsiima |first=Phiona |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=3 November 2019 |access-date=9 February 2021 |url= https://www.newtimes.co.rw/lifestyle/significance-evolution-ikivuguto}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gaidashova |first1=Svetlana |last2=Okech |first2=Suleman |last3=Gold |first3=C. S. |last4=Nyagahungu |first4=I. |date=January 2005 |title=Why beer bananas: The case for Rwanda |journal=Infomusa |volume=14 |pages=2–6 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272354342}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:One Laptop Per Child, Kigali.jpg|thumb|Pupils at Kagugu Primary School in Kigali, using laptops provided by the [[One Laptop per Child]] initiative|alt=Close-up photograph of schoolchildren in a classroom with green laptops, being assisted by an adult]]
In colonial and pre-genocide Rwanda, Butare was the country's principal centre for [[tertiary education]]. Early colleges such as the [[Nyakibanda Major Seminary]], founded in 1936, and three 1960s establishments including the [[National University of Rwanda]] (UNR), were all located in the southern city.{{sfn|World Bank|2004|pp=136–137}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/129854/archives-thematique/butare-silicon-valley/ |work=[[Jeune Afrique]] |date=5 April 2004 |title=Butare, Silicon Valley |first=Cherif |last=Ouazani |access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://atom.archives.unesco.org/institut-pedagogique-national-du-rwanda-butare-rwa-2-2 |title=Item 1 – Institut Pédagogique National du Rwanda, Butaré (RWA.2) |date=6 January 1968 |access-date=11 May 2020 |publisher=[[UNESCO]] Archives AtoM Catalogue}}</ref> The first higher-education institution in Kigali was the [[Institut Africain et Mauricien de statistique et d'économie appliquée]], which was founded in 1976,{{sfn|World Bank|2004|pp=136–137}}{{sfn|Kiregyera|2015|p=30}} but the city did not become a major centre of learning until the second half of the 1990s. At that time, the public [[Kigali Health Institute]] (KHI), [[Kigali Institute of Science and Technology]] (KIST), and [[Kigali Institute of Education]] (KIE) were founded, along with private universities the [[Kigali Independent University]] (ULK) and the [[University of Lay Adventists of Kigali]] (UNILAK).{{sfn|World Bank|2004|pp=136–137}} Further institutions were added in Kigali in the 21st century, including the public [[School of Finance and Banking]] (SFB) in Gikondo and the private [[University of Kigali]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://uok.ac.rw/ |title=University of Kigali – UoK |publisher=[[University of Kigali]] |access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> as well as branches of foreign universities such as [[Mount Kenya University]] and [[Carnegie Mellon University]]'s college of engineering.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/34650 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=The Sun is rising at Kigali's School of Finance and Banking |date=6 September 2011 |access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mku.ac.ke/index.php/campus-history |publisher=[[Mount Kenya University]] |title=Kigali Campus History |access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=[[Carnegie Mellon University|Carnegie Mellon University Africa]] |access-date=21 May 2020 |title=CMU Africa |url=https://www.cmu.edu/rwanda/}}</ref> As of 2018, there were a total of 50,594 students enrolled at tertiary institutions in Kigali, with a total of 28 separate campuses.{{sfn|MINEDUC|2018|p=112}}

In 2013, the government implemented significant changes in the country's public university system, intended to improve efficiency by removing duplicated courses of study and eliminating discrepancies in student assessment between the different schools. The previously independent Kigali institutions KHI, KIST, KIE and SFB were merged with three others from outside the city—the UNR, Nyagatare-based [[Umutara Polytechnic]] and Ruhengeri's [[Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry]]—creating the consolidated [[University of Rwanda]]. It has six constituent colleges,{{sfn|Lemarchand|Tash|2015|p=162}} spanning nine campuses, three of which are in Kigali. These are the Gikondo campus, which serves as the university's headquarters and is home to its business and economics programmes, the Nyarugenge campus on the former KIST site, which houses the sciences, architecture and engineering, and the Remera campus which covers medicine, nursing, dentistry and health sciences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://admissions.ur.ac.rw/?q=node%2F13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507213846/https://admissions.ur.ac.rw/?q=node%2F13 |archive-date=7 May 2020 |access-date=7 May 2020 |publisher=[[University of Rwanda]] |title=Admissions – Information Centers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ur.ac.rw/?UR-Campus-Distribution-of-Programmes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507214001/https://ur.ac.rw/?UR-Campus-Distribution-of-Programmes |archive-date=7 May 2020 |access-date=7 May 2020 |publisher=[[University of Rwanda]] |title=UR Campus Distribution of Programmes}}</ref>

In 2018 Kigali had 239 primary schools with 203,680 pupils enrolled,{{sfn|MINEDUC|2018|pp=101–103}} and 143 secondary schools with an enrolment of 60,997.{{sfn|MINEDUC|2018|pp=105–107}} The large rate of drop-out between primary and secondary, a phenomenon which occurs across Rwanda, is attributed by the [[Ministry of Education (Rwanda)|Ministry of Education]] and [[UNICEF]] to insufficient numeracy and English skills in primary-school finishers, cost, the need for children to contribute to household labour, and insufficient teaching resources.{{sfn|MINEDUC|UNICEF|2017|p=xvi}} The city's three districts occupied the top positions in the national table of exam results at primary level in 2019, although this success was not replicated at secondary level in which rural districts were the top performers. The top-three performing individual secondary schools offering the Rwandan syllabus—[[Forum for African Women Educationalists|FAWE Girls' School]], [[Petit Séminaire St Vincent de Ndera]], and [[Lycée Notre-Dame de Cîteaux]]—were all in Kigali, however.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/national-exams-kigali-dominates-primary-rural-schools-dominate-high-school |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |first=Emmanuel Côme |last=Mugisha |title=National exams: Kigali dominates in primary as rural schools dominate in high school |date=31 December 2019 |access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> The city also has a number of private schools, which target wealthy Rwandans and expatriates, including the Green Hills Academy, [[École Belge de Kigali|École Belge]], and the [[International School of Kigali]]. These schools, which charge high fees, offer international programmes such as the [[International General Certificate of Secondary Education]] and the [[International Baccalaureate]] which enable students to study at universities worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/107024 |title=The era of elite international schools is here |date=1 May 2013 |access-date=6 May 2020 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]}}</ref>

On 14 September 2022, the government announced that, starting with the academic year 2022–2023, parents will no longer pay school fees for students in pre-primary and primary, however, they will contribute Rwf975 for school feeding program. This will help parents with limited means be able to send their children at school.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kagina |first=Alice |date=2022-09-15 |title=Rwanda: Govt Scraps Tuition Fees for Public Primary Schools |url=https://allafrica.com/stories/202209150070.html |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=allAfrica.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Sport==
The largest sports venue in Kigali is [[Amahoro Stadium]], in the Remera area of the city, which was built in the 1980s and has a capacity of 45,000.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307093554/http://www.ccecc.com.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=26&id=122 |access-date=4 May 2020 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |title=卢旺达国家体育场项目 |publisher=[[China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation]] |language=zh |url=http://www.ccecc.com.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=26&id=122}}</ref><ref name="ZambianWatchdog">{{cite news |last=Mutale |first=Chama |date=7 January 2016 |title=Uganda/Zimbabwe: Zambia to Face Zimbabwe, Uganda At Umuganda Stadium |work=[[Zambian Watchdog]] |via=[[AllAfrica]] |access-date=21 May 2020 |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201601071460.html}}</ref> The stadium is used primarily for [[association football]], playing host to most [[Rwanda national football team]] home games as well as domestic fixtures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ferwafa.rw/spip.php?rubrique37 |publisher=[[Rwanda Football Federation]] |title=Amavubi Background |access-date=4 May 2020 |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615150257/http://ferwafa.rw/spip.php?rubrique37 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was one of four stadia used for fixtures in the [[2016 African Nations Championship]] including the final, in which the [[DR Congo national football team|Democratic Republic of the Congo]] beat [[Mali national football team|Mali]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Confederation of African Football]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224172710/http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/competitions/chan2016/Venues |url=http://www.cafonline.com/en-us/competitions/chan2016/Venues |title=Orange African Nations Championship, Rwanda 2016: Venues |access-date=4 May 2020 |archive-date=24 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20160207-dr-congo-beat-mali-african-football-championship |work=[[France 24]] |title=DR Congo win second CHAN title with 3–0 win over Mali |date=7 February 2016 |access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref> The stadium also hosts [[rugby union]] fixtures, including those of [[Rwanda national rugby union team|the national team]],<ref>{{cite web |access-date=1 February 2021 |title=Working as a team is a key for a new committee to be {{sic|succ|essfull|nolink=y}} |date=11 December 2018 |url=https://www.rwandarugby.com/?p=4790 |publisher=[[Rwanda Rugby Federation]]}}</ref> as well as concerts and public events.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://constructionreviewonline.com/2018/06/rwanda-set-to-renovate-amahoro-national-stadium/ |title=Rwanda set to renovate Amahoro National Stadium |date=22 June 2018 |first=Yvonne |last=Andiva |access-date=4 May 2020 |work=Construction Review Online}}</ref> The Amahoro complex includes an indoor venue, commonly known by the French name ''Petit stade'', and a [[Paralympic]] playing hall.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rba.co.rw/post/Amahoro-Stadium-to-be-revamped-and-expanded |publisher=Rwanda Broadcasting Agency |title=Amahoro Stadium to be revamped and expanded |author=Yanditswe |date=4 February 2020 |access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref> The [[Kigali Arena]] is a 10,000-capacity indoor arena next to Amahoro Stadium, which opened in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ktpress.rw/2019/09/now-president-kagame-wishes-kigali-arena-had-20-000-capacity/ |work=Kigali Today |title=Now President Kagame Wishes Kigali Arena Had 20, 000 Capacity |first=Edmund |last=Kagire |date=25 September 2019 |access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref> The arena hosts sports such as basketball, including the [[AfroBasket 2021]] tournament,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/sports/dates-rwanda-afrobasket-2021-confirmed |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=Dates for Rwanda Afrobasket 2021 confirmed |date=8 October 2019 |first=Damas |last=Sikubwabo |access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref> as well as handball, volleyball, and tennis.<ref name=rha>{{cite news |title=Construction of modern multi-sport arena kicks-off |url=http://www.rha.gov.rw/index.php?id=177&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=225&cHash=d6ab65353ad50582ed933949d1d54377 |access-date=24 June 2019 |publisher=Rwanda Housing Authority |date=17 January 2019 |archive-date=25 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225091752/http://www.rha.gov.rw/index.php?id=177&tx_ttnews&#91;tt_news&#93;=225&cHash=d6ab65353ad50582ed933949d1d54377 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other venues in the city include the 22,000-capacity [[Pele Stadium]] and the [[Rwanda Cricket Stadium]] in Gahanga, which opened in 2017.<ref name="SoccerwayStadia">{{cite web |url=https://int.soccerway.com/national/rwanda/national-soccer-league/20192020/regular-season/r54205/venues/ |title=Rwanda – National Soccer League – Venues |access-date=4 May 2020 |website=Soccerway}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/221979 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=18 October 2017 |title=Thousands to grace Gahanga Cricket Stadium inauguration |access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref> Rwanda's only golf course, the Kigali Golf Club, is based in Nyarutarama;<ref>{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207011637/https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/229157/ |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/229157/ |archive-date=7 February 2018 |title=Could golf be the new tourism frontier for Rwanda? |first=Moses |last=Opobo |date=7 February 2018 |access-date=4 May 2020 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]}}</ref> as of 2020 it is being expanded to eighteen holes and hopes to attract regional tournaments in future.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/gary-player-design-completely-revamps-kigali-course-to-18-holes |work=Golf Course Architecture |access-date=4 May 2020 |title=Gary Player Design completely revamps Kigali course to 18 holes}}</ref>
Seven of the sixteen teams in the association football [[Rwanda Premier League]] are based in Kigali. Most of these do not have their own stadia and play fixtures at multiple venues including Amahoro Stadium, Nyamirambo Regional Stadium and various smaller grounds.<ref name="SoccerwayStadia"/> The country's two most successful teams are based in the city: [[APR FC]], who won eighteen championships between 1969 and 2020, and [[Rayon Sports F.C.|Rayon Sports]], who won nine in the same period.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesr/rwanchamp.html |access-date=26 May 2021 |date=9 December 2020 |first=Hans |last=Schöggl |website=[[RSSSF]] |title=Rwanda - List of Champions}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/sports/Rwanda-Rayon-Sport-aiming-for-top-honours/4494642-4569330-23sw4w/index.html |work=[[The EastAfrican]] |title=Rwanda's Rayon Sport aiming for top honours |first=Edmund |last=Kagire |date=19 May 2018 |access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesr/rwanchamp.html|title=Rwanda – List of Champions |first=Hans |last=Schöggl |date=1 October 2015 |website=[[RSSSF]]|access-date=10 October 2015}}</ref> As of 2020, ten of the fourteen teams in [[Rwanda's National Basketball League]] play their home games in Kigali, with venues including Club Rafiki and the Integrated Polytechnic Regional College Kigali, as well as the Amahoro Stadium's ''Petit stade'' and the Kigali Arena.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.afrobasket.com/Rwanda/basketball-Teams.aspx |publisher=[[AfroBasket]] |title=Rwandan Basketball (Men) Teams |access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|From.<ref name="Basketball">{{cite web |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200520104746/http://ferwaba.web.geniussports.com/competitions/ |archive-date=20 May 2020 |url=http://ferwaba.web.geniussports.com/competitions/ |access-date=19 May 2020 |title=Schedule |publisher=[[Rwanda Basketball Federation]]}}</ref> Four teams play home games outside Kigali: RP-IPRC Huye BBC and UR BBC-MEN ([[Butare]]), RP IPRC MUSANZE ([[Ruhengeri]]), and RUSIZI Basketball Club ([[Cyangugu]]). The remaining ten teams all play games at Kigali venues Club Rafiki, Kigali Arena, NPC, Amahoro stadium ''Petit stade'', and RP-IPRC Kigali.}} This includes the two most successful clubs [[Patriots BBC]] and [[Espoir BBC]], who have won five and four league titles respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://basketball.afrobasket.com/team/Rwanda/Patriots-Basketball-Club/20276?Page=5 |publisher=[[AfroBasket]] |access-date=20 May 2020 |title=Patriots Basketball Club – History}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://basketball.afrobasket.com/team/Rwanda/Espoir-BBC-Kigali/6587?Page=5 |publisher=[[AfroBasket]] |access-date=21 May 2020 |title=Espoir BBC Kigali basketball team – History}}</ref>

Kigali was awarded hosting of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, marking the first time the organisation's flagship event visits Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/uci-road-world-championships-2025-rwanda-kigali-host-cycling/ |publisher=sportspromedia |access-date=22 March 2022 |title=UCI Road World Championships heading to Rwanda in 2025|date=27 September 2021 }}</ref>

==Infrastructure==

===Transportation===
[[File:KN3 Road Deloitte Kigali.jpg|thumb|Dual carriageway on the approach to Kigali CBD|alt=Photograph of a street, including buildings, vehicles and pedestrians]]
The Rwandan government has increased investment in the [[Transport in Rwanda|transport infrastructure of Rwanda]] since the 1994 genocide, with aid from the United States, European Union, Japan, China, and others. Kigali is the centre of the country's road network, with paved roads linking the city to most other major cities and towns in the country.{{sfn|African Development Bank|OECD|2006|p=439}} It is also connected by road to other countries in the [[East African Community]], namely Uganda, [[Tanzania]], Burundi and [[Kenya]], as well as to the eastern Congolese cities of [[Goma]] and [[Bukavu]]; the most important trade route for imports and exports is the road to the port of [[Mombasa]] via [[Kampala]] and Nairobi, which is known as the [[Northern Corridor]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Tancott |first=Glen |date=30 June 2014 |title=Northern corridor |work=Transport World Africa |url=http://www.transportworldafrica.co.za/2014/06/30/northern-corridor/ |access-date=26 October 2015 }}</ref> Within the city there was a total of {{convert|1017|km|mi}} of road in 2012, although only fourteen per cent of this was paved road and many of the unpaved sections were of poor quality and dangerous during rainfall. The authorities have been making gradual improvements since the 1990s, increasing the quality of the surfaces and also upgrading most of the city's arterial routes to dual-carriageway.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=72}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/206638 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=Kigali roads expansion project starts in January |date=28 December 2016 |access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Buses at Nyabugogo.jpg|thumb|Buses and minibuses at Nyabugogo bus station|alt=Photograph of bus station, including vehicles and buildings]]
Car ownership in Kigali is low, with just six per cent of households possessing one as of 2011.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=72}} Therefore, most residents rely on public transport for journeys within the city and elsewhere. Historically, most passenger journeys within Kigali were in minibuses, operating under a share taxi system with sixteen passengers per bus.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=70}} In the 2010s, these were phased out in many areas of the city, in favour of larger buses,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://observers.france24.com/en/20150216-kigali-bus-users-modernisation-plan |work=[[France 24]] |title=Bus modernisation drives Kigali residents to 'despair' |date=16 February 2015 |access-date=9 May 2020}}</ref> some of which permit cashless payment through a [[Tap-and-go|"Tap & Go"]] card and online bookings.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-36016064 |title=Could cashless payments make Rwanda's bus conductor redundant? |access-date=11 May 2020 |date=12 April 2016 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Featured: Navigating the new Tap & Go System step by step |access-date=11 May 2020 |first=Hudson |last=Kuteesa |date=26 November 2019 |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/featured-navigating-new-tap-go-system-step-step |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]}}</ref> [[Motorcycle taxi]]s are a very popular form of private-hire vehicle, with 10,486 drivers registered with cooperatives or syndicates in 2012, a figure which is likely an underestimate.{{sfn|Rollason|2012|p=6}} The government has announced plans to replace the country's fleet of petrol-powered motorcycles with electric vehicles,<ref name="voan_Rwan">{{Cite web |title=Rwanda Encourages Youth to Use Electric Motorcycles |author=Eugene Uwimana |publisher=[[Voice of America]] News |date=22 August 2019 |access-date=19 February 2021 |url= https://www.voanews.com/a/africa_rwanda-encourages-youth-use-electric-motorcycles/6174393.html |quote=Eugene Uwimana }}</ref> and online booking and metering has been rolled out for both motorcycles and [[taxicab]]s in recent years, such as Yego Cab and Move Ride by Volkswagen.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://taarifa.rw/volkswagen-launches-ride-hailing-service-in-rwanda/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506135130/https://taarifa.rw/volkswagen-launches-ride-hailing-service-in-rwanda/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 May 2021 |website=Taarifa.rw |first=Isaac |last=Kam |date=1 March 2019 |access-date=18 January 2021 |title=Volkswagen Launches Ride Hailing Service In Rwanda }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/219747 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=12 September 2017 |title=YegoMoto makes travel easier |first=Julius |last=Bizimungu |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ktpress.rw/2018/09/yego-cab-a-new-low-cost-taxi-service-launched-in-kigali/ |publisher=KT Press |title="YEGO Cab" – A New 'Low Cost' Taxi- Service Launched In Kigali |first=Williams |last=Buningwire |access-date=10 May 2020 |date=18 September 2018}}</ref> [[Boda boda|Bicycle taxis]] operate in some areas of the city, being reintroduced in 2014 after a period in which they were banned.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/183535 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=29 November 2014 |title=City, Traffic Police finally give way to cycle-taxis |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ktpress.rw/2016/08/after-kagame-intervention-bicycle-taxis-generate-rwf3-6billion/ |publisher=KT Press |date=3 August 2016 |access-date=19 May 2020 |first=Dan |last=Ngabonziza |title=After Kagame Intervention Bicycle Taxis Generate Rwf3.6Billion}}</ref>
[[File:MototaxisKigali(november2022).png|thumb|Motorcycle taxis are very popular in Kigali]]
International coaches run from Nyabugogo to other destinations in East Africa. Until 2019, this included the Ugandan capital Kampala, which was reached either via [[Gatuna]] and [[Kabale]] or via [[Kagitumba]].<ref name="ViaGatuna">{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/82243 |access-date=25 January 2021 |date=31 July 2010 |title=A Visit to Mfashumwana a.k.a. Kyererezi Village |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/71835 |date=25 December 2013 |title=Transporters count losses on Chrismas |access-date=25 January 2021 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]}}</ref> The journey via Gatuna on the overnight service takes around ten hours.<ref name="ViaGatuna"/> Some Kampala services continued to [[Nairobi]] in Kenya.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/205527 |access-date=25 January 2021 |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |title=Who cares for East Africa's road travelers? |first=Kenneth |last=Agutamba |date=20 November 2016}}</ref> In 2019 the Rwanda–Uganda border was closed by the Rwandan government amid a diplomatic dispute over rebel groups and the treatment of Rwandan nationals in Uganda.<ref>{{cite news |first=Hamza |last=Mohamed |date=20 February 2019 |title=Will Kagame and Museveni resolve their dispute? |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/20/will-kagame-and-museveni-resolve-their-dispute |access-date=10 December 2020 }}</ref> Some travellers began using the [[Rusomo Falls]] border crossing to reach Kampala via Tanzania, a much longer journey.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/a-rwandan-s-long-journey-to-uganda-through-tanzania-1425194 |work=[[The EastAfrican]] |date=17 August 2019 |title=A Rwandan's long journey to Uganda through Tanzania |first=Ivan R. |last=Mugisha |access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref> {{As of|2020}} Rwanda has no railways, but the government has agreed with Tanzania to construct [[Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway|a standard-gauge railway]] linking Kigali to [[Isaka]], where passengers could connect with either the [[Central Line (Tanzania)|Central Line]] or with the future [[Tanzania Standard Gauge Railway]], to reach [[Dar es Salaam]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chronicles.rw/2019/07/26/what-is-happening-with-the-isaka-kigali-railway/ |work=The Chronicles |title=What Is Happening With The Isaka-Kigali Railway? |date=26 July 2019 |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref>

[[Kigali International Airport]] (KIA), in the eastern suburb of Kanombe, is the nation's and the city's principal airport. The busiest routes are those to [[Jomo Kenyatta International Airport]] in Nairobi and [[Entebbe International Airport]], which serves Kampala;<ref name="CentreForAviation">{{cite web |publisher=[[Aviation Week Network]] |work=CAPA – Centre For Aviation |date=22 December 2014 |title=RwandAir plans further regional expansion in 2015 and launch of long-haul services in 2017 |url=http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/rwandair-plans-further-regional-expansion-in-2015-and-launch-of-long-haul-services-in-2017-202148 |access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref> there is one domestic route, between Kigali and [[Kamembe Airport]] near Cyangugu.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tumwebaze |first=Peterson |date=13 June 2015 |title=Kamembe airport reopens to flights |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |url=http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/article/2015-06-13/189683/ |access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref> With capacity for growth at KIA limited, the government commissioned the new [[Bugesera International Airport]], {{convert|25|km|mi}} south-east of Kigali,<ref>{{cite web |title=Kigali Bugesera International Airport |url=https://centreforaviation.com/data/profiles/newairports/kigali-bugesera-international-airport |publisher=Centre for Aviation |access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref> with construction beginning in 2017. It will become the country's largest when it opens, complementing the existing Kigali airport.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Ministry of Infrastructure (Rwanda)]] |date=9 August 2017 |title=New Bugesera International Airport construction works kick-off |url=http://mininfra.gov.rw/index.php?id=19&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=248&cHash=77c29a7b4d7453a6824a6e98bf01b943 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221155229/http://mininfra.gov.rw/index.php?id=19&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=248&cHash=77c29a7b4d7453a6824a6e98bf01b943 |archive-date=21 February 2018 |access-date=21 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The national carrier is RwandAir, and the country is served by seven foreign airlines.<ref name="CentreForAviation"/>

===Power===
Kigali's electricity supply was, until the early 2000s, generated almost entirely from [[hydroelectric]] sources; power stations on Lakes [[Lake Burera|Burera]] and [[Lake Ruhondo|Ruhondo]] provided 90 per cent of Rwanda's electricity.{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|p=3}} A combination of below average rainfall and human activity, including the draining of the [[Rugezi wetlands]] for cultivation and grazing, caused the two lakes' water levels to fall from 1990 onwards; by 2004 levels were reduced by 50 per cent, leading to a sharp drop in output from the power stations.{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|p=5}} Coupled with this, demand had been increasing since the 1980s as the economy grew, particularly in Kigali.{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|pp=3–4}} In 2003–04, the national electricity company was forced to reduce output from the power stations, necessitating widespread [[loadshedding]].{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|pp=4–5}} As an emergency measure, the government installed [[diesel generator]]s north of the city; by 2006 these were providing 56 per cent of the country's electricity, but were very costly.{{sfn|World Resources Report|2011|p=5}} Power outages remained a frequent occurrence in the late 2010s.<ref name="newt_Rwf1">{{Cite web |title=Rwf17.6 billion power substation inaugurated |last=Bizimungu |first=Julius |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=28 September 2018 |access-date=15 February 2021 |url= https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/rwf176-billion-power-substation-inaugurated}}</ref> This prompted the government and national supplier [[Rwanda Energy Group]] to invest in a programme of new peat-fired, hydroelectric, and methane power stations across Rwanda as well as the construction and repair of power lines.<ref name="newt_Kiga">{{Cite web |title=Kigali to enjoy uninterrupted electricity supply – REG chief |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=5 September 2017 |access-date=15 February 2021 |url= https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/219267}}</ref> As of 2018, 82 per cent of Kigali's households had access to electricity, with the government targeting 100 per cent provision within seven years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Electricity access in Rwanda quadrupled in the last 7 years as more households get connected |publisher=[[Rwanda Energy Group]] |date=1 January 2018 |access-date=15 February 2021 |url= https://www.reg.rw/media-center/news-details/news/electricity-access-in-rwanda-quadrupled-in-the-last-7-years-as-more-households-get-connected/}}</ref> Most of these households are supplied by Rwanda's [[wide area synchronous grid]], with only between 2 and 4 per cent of households in the three districts relying on off-grid access in 2020.<ref name="reg._Offg">{{Cite web |title=Offgrid |publisher=[[Rwanda Energy Group]] |date=April 2020 |access-date=15 February 2021 |url= https://www.reg.rw/what-we-do/access/offgrid/}}</ref>

===Healthcare===
[[File:A Rwandan youth receiving his covid 19 vaccine jab in kigali.jpg|thumb|A Rwandan youth receiving his [[COVID-19 vaccine]]]]
Rwanda has five national referral hospitals, of which four are located in Kigali.{{sfn|WHO|2017|p=7}} The largest of these is the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (UTH-K), which is governed by the [[Ministry of Health (Rwanda)|Ministry of Health]] and receives most of its funding from the government.{{sfn|OAG|2016|p=35}}{{sfn|OAG|2016|p=8}} UTH-K has 519 beds and employs 155 personnel.<ref name="chuk_CHUK">{{Cite web |title=About CHUK: Background |publisher=University Teaching Hospital of Kigali |access-date=16 February 2021 |url= http://chuk.rw/about-chuk/article/background}}</ref><ref name="dnb._THEU">{{Cite web |title=D&B Business Directory: The University Teaching Hospital of Kigali – Company Profile |publisher=[[Dun & Bradstreet]] |access-date=16 February 2021 |url= https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.the_university_teaching_hospital_of_kigali_-_chuk.d7ede92f24da980cf8135cb7ff5aa057.html}}</ref> Founded in 1918, it is currently in Kigali CBD, but plans to relocate to a new larger site in the [[Masaka, Rwanda|Masaka]] area of the city.<ref name="chuk_CHUK"/><ref name="newt_Cons">{{Cite web |title=Construction of new $100m hospital to start in 2020 |last=Karuhanga |first=James |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=18 August 2019 |access-date=16 February 2021 |url= https://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/construction-new-100m-hospital-start-2020}}</ref> The other national referral hospitals are [[King Faisal Hospital (Kigali)|King Faisal Hospital]], which was constructed in the late 1980s with assistance from the [[Saudi Fund for Development]], the [[Rwanda Military Hospital]] and the [[Ndera Neuropsychiatric Hospital]].{{sfn|WHO|2017|p=7}}<ref name="kfh._WhoW">{{Cite web |title=About us |publisher=[[King Faisal Hospital (Kigali)|King Faisal Hospital]] |access-date=16 February 2021 |url=https://kfh.rw/about-us/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609115533/http://kfh.rw/about-us/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 June 2013 }}</ref> In addition to the national hospitals, the city also contains three provincial hospitals, at [[Kibagabaga]], Masaka, and Kacyiru.<ref name="1R">{{cite web|url=http://www.rmdc.rw/spip.php?article11 | title=List of hospitals in Rwanda |access-date=12 September 2018 | date=12 September 2018 |publisher=Rwanda Medical & Dental Council }}</ref><ref name="2R">{{cite web|title=List of Hospitals in Rwanda |url=http://fortuneofafrica.com/rwanda/hospitals-in-rwanda/ | publisher=Fortune of Africa |access-date=12 September 2018 |date=12 September 2018}}</ref> In 2021, a new 300-bed hospital opened in Nyarugenge district, designated as a specialist referral centre for [[COVID-19]] patients.<ref name="ktpr_Nyar">{{Cite web |title=Nyarugenge Hospital Opens To Serve As COVID-19 Referral Centre |last=Tabaro |first=Jean de la Croix |publisher=KT Press |date=8 January 2021 |access-date=16 February 2021 |url= https://www.ktpress.rw/2021/01/nyarugenge-hospital-opens-to-serve-as-covid-19-referral-centre/}}</ref>

Under the [[Twubakane Decentralisation and Health Project]], responsibility for primary healthcare has moved from the national level to district level. Healthcare centres in the city are run as a mixture of public sector, government-assisted and private sector, with some traditional healers also operating.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=34}} Not all residents have easy access to these facilities, however, with some having to walk more than 30 minutes to reach the nearest centre.{{sfn|REMA|2013|p=35}} The government has devolved the financing and management of healthcare to local communities, through a system of health insurance providers called ''mutuelles de santé''. The ''mutuelles'' were piloted in 1999, and were made available nationwide by the mid-2000s, with the assistance of international development partners.<ref>{{cite journal |year=2008 |title=Sharing the burden of sickness: mutual health insurance in Rwanda |journal=Bulletin of the World Health Organization |issn=0042-9686 |volume=86 |issue=11 |pages=817–908 |url=https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/11/08-021108/en/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113032750/http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/11/08-021108/en/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 November 2008}}</ref>

==Media==

There are a total of eleven different terrestrial television stations broadcast in Rwanda, ten of which are domestic. All of the ten domestic channels are headquartered in Kigali.{{refn|group=nb|List of ten TV stations taken from {{harvnb|RURA|2018|p=19}}. Those based in Kigali are: Rwanda TV;<ref name="rba._Abou">{{Cite web |title=About us – Rwanda Broadcasting Agency |publisher=Rwanda Broadcasting Agency |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= https://www.rba.co.rw/about |quote=KG 7 Blvd Kacyiru }}</ref> Isango Star;<ref name="isan_Live">{{Cite web |quote=KN 1 Road Street, House No 22, Kigali Rwanda |title=Live TV – Isango Star |publisher=Isango Star |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= http://www.isangostar.rw/?page=tv}}</ref> Authentic TV;<ref name="auth_Cont">{{Cite web |title=Contact Us – Authentic tv |quote=Zion Temple Celebration Center Kicukiro Gatenga Ngoma |publisher=Authentic TV |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= http://www.authentic-tv.com/contact/}}</ref> TV One and Radio One;<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928163852/https://radiotv1.rw/about-us/article/company-profile |url=https://radiotv1.rw/about-us/article/company-profile |archive-date=28 September 2020 |title=About Us: Company Profile |author=Fred |date=17 August 2019 |quote=In addition to its editorial staff based in Kigali... |access-date=18 February 2021}}</ref> TV7;<ref>{{cite web |quote=MICLTD,F4/Rwanda/Kigali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709045621/http://tv7rwa.com/contact.php |url=http://tv7rwa.com:80/contact.php |archive-date=9 July 2019 |title=About TV7 |publisher=TV7 |access-date=18 February 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> Flash TV;<ref name="flas_Flas">{{Cite web |quote=BP: 195, Kigali Rwanda |title=Flash FM & Flash TV |publisher=Flash Radio & TV |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= https://flash.rw/}}</ref> Big Television Network;<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129103432/http://btn.rw/about-us |url=http://btn.rw/about-us |publisher=BTN TV |title=About Us |archive-date=29 November 2020 |access-date=18 February 2021 |quote=KN 1 Road Street, House No 22, Kigali Rwanda}}</ref> Contact TV;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/Contact-TV-Rwanda-373367832802204/ |via=Facebook |publisher=Contact TV |quote=KK 512 ST 250 Kigali, Rwanda |title=Contact TV Rwanda |access-date=18 February 2021}}</ref> Goodrich TV;<ref name="en.i_Kaga">{{Cite web |title=Kagame intervenes in female employee assault case |work=IGIHE |date=11 September 2019 |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= https://en.igihe.com/news/kagame-intervenes-in-female-employee-assault-case.html?url_reload=25 |quote=M. Peace Plaza building where Goodrich TV is headquartered }}</ref> TV10.<ref name="radi_Radi">{{Cite web |title=Radio TV 10 |work=radiotv10.rw |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= http://www.radiotv10.rw/ |quote=Head Office: Tele10 Group Gishushu, Remera }}</ref> The sole overseas station is [[Kwesé Sports]].<ref name="tv7r_">{{Cite web |title=Kwesé Free Sports launches in Rwanda |publisher=[[Kwesé Sports]] |via=[[ESPN]] |date=2 May 2017 |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= https://africa.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/19292675/kwese-free-sports-launches-rwanda}}</ref>}} These stations are provided by two organisations—the public [[Rwanda Broadcasting Agency]] (RBA), and Chinese firm [[StarTimes]]. They are broadcast from two [[Television transmitter|transmitters]] in the Kigali area, one on Mount Jali, and one in Gasabo.{{sfn|RURA|2018|p=15–18}} In addition to the terrestrial channels, StarTimes also run a pay TV service along with two other networks, [[Azam (TV network)|Azam]] and [[Tele10]].<ref name="newt_Azam">{{Cite web |title=Azam TV entry to intensify rivalry in pay TV market |author=Ben Gasore |work=[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]] |date=22 April 2015 |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/188058}}</ref> A 2017 survey by research firm GeoPoll found that [[Rwanda TV]] is the most popular station in the country, with an audience share of 45.2 per cent, followed by TV1 with 9.3 per cent, and TV10 with 6.4 per cent.<ref name="GeoPoll">{{Cite web |title=Rwanda Media Measurement Q2 2017 |publisher=GeoPoll |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= https://knowledge.geopoll.com/rwanda-media-measurement-q2-2017-kgmm-report-0-0-0}}</ref> Rwanda TV was historically run by the government, but in 2013 it was transferred to the RBA.<ref name="olds_Rwan">{{Cite web |title=Rwanda's state broadcaster to go independent |author=Clare Hill |publisher=Commonwealth Broadcasting Association |date=28 March 2013 |access-date=18 February 2021 |url=http://oldsite.cba.org.uk/latest/rwandas-state-broadcaster-to-go-independent/ |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127041226/http://oldsite.cba.org.uk/latest/rwandas-state-broadcaster-to-go-independent/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A number of radio stations also operate in Kigali, with transmitters located at Mount Jali and at Mount Rebero, the south of the city. The 2017 GeoPoll survey found that RBA-owned [[Radio Rwanda]] was the most popular, with 38.6 per cent of the national audience, followed by [[Kiss FM (Rwanda)|Kiss FM]] with 9.3 per cent and [[KT Radio]] with 7.3 per cent.<ref name="GeoPoll"/> All three of these are based in Kigali.<ref name="rba._Abou"/><ref name="kiss_102.">{{Cite web |title=102.3 KISS FM – Kigali's Number 1 Hit Music Station |publisher=Kiss FM |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= https://kissfm.rw/ |quote=Kigali's Number 1 Hit Music Station}}</ref><ref name="ktra_Twan">{{Cite web |title=Twandikire {{!}} KT Radio 96.7fm  |date=30 July 2018 |language=rw |publisher=KT Radio |access-date=18 February 2021 |url= http://www.ktradio.rw/twandikire/ |quote=CHIC Building, KN 2 Ave, Kigali }}</ref> Various overseas radio stations are broadcast on [[FM broadcasting|FM]] in Kigali including [[BBC News]], [[Voice of America]], and [[Deutsche Welle]].<ref name="BBCMedia">{{Cite web |title=Rwanda profile – Media |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=29 July 2019 |access-date=19 February 2021 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14093244}}</ref> A number of newspapers are published in Kigali, including ''[[The New Times (Rwanda)|The New Times]]'', the country's largest English-language publication, ''[[La Nouvelle Relève]]'', in French, and Kinyarwanda papers such as ''[[KT Press]]'' and ''[[Imvaho Nshya]]''.<ref name="libr_Rwan">{{Cite web |title=Rwanda news |publisher=[[Stanford University Libraries]] |access-date=19 February 2021 |url= https://library.stanford.edu/africa-south-sahara/browse-topic/news-country/rwanda-news }}</ref> According to international observers such as [[Reporters Without Borders]] and [[Freedom House]], the Rwandan media does not have [[press freedom]] and is routinely censored or forced to self-censor by the government.<ref name="BBCMedia"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Africa}}
* [[Inema Arts Center]]
* [[Kigali Car-Free Zone]]
* [[Kigali Convention Centre]]
* [[Kigali Genocide Memorial]] 
* [[Amahoro Stadium]] 
* [[BK Arena]] 
* [[Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-Tourism Park]]

== Explanatory notes ==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General and cited references ===
* {{cite book |last=Adekunle |first=Julius |year=2007 |title=Culture and customs of Rwanda |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=978-0-313-33177-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g0FC40EQujwC}}
* {{cite book |author1=[[African Development Bank]] |author2=[[OECD]] |publisher=OECD Publishing |year=2006 |title=African Economic Outlook |edition=5th |isbn=978-92-64-02243-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fpEFOR6WmfYC}}
* {{cite book |last1=Appiah |first1=Anthony |last2=Gates |first2=Henry Louis |year=2010 |title=Encyclopedia of Africa |volume=1 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533770-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0XNvklcqbwC }}
* {{cite book |last1=Briggs |first1=Philip |last2=Booth |first2=Janice |year=2006 |title=Rwanda – The Bradt Travel Guide |edition=3rd |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |isbn=978-1-841621-80-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2Sq4S3P5fQC}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Cassimon |first1=Danny |last2=Engelen |first2=Peter-Jan |last3=Reyntjens |first3=Filip |title=Rwanda's involvement in Eastern DRC: A criminal real options approach |journal=Crime, Law and Social Change |date=2013 |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=39–62 |doi=10.1007/s10611-012-9397-7 |s2cid=145263108 |url=https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/46993/1/MPRA_paper_46993.pdf |ref={{sfnref|Cassimon et al.|2013}}}}
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* {{cite web |publisher=[[Ministry of Education (Rwanda)|Ministry of Education, Republic of Rwanda]] (MINEDUC) |date=December 2018 |title=2018 Education Statistics |url=http://statistics.gov.rw/file/7889/download?token=2YQpU2XL |access-date=11 May 2020 |ref={{sfnRef|MINEDUC|2018}} |format=PDF }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Kigali}}
{{Commons category|Kigali}}
* [http://www.kigalicity.gov.rw/ Official website of Kigali City]

{{Kigali}}
{{Rwanda provinces}} 
{{Navboxes
|title = [[File:Gnome-globe.svg|25px]]{{nbsp}}Geographic locale
|list  =
'''[[Geographic coordinate system|Lat. <small>and</small> Long.]] {{Coord|1|56|38|S|30|3|34|E|region:RW-01_type:city(1,100,000)|display=inline}}'''
}}
{{List of African capitals}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kigali| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in Africa]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1907]]
[[Category:Provinces of Rwanda]]