Resource 1: Natural resources and human settlement in Rwanda: the case of Bugesera

 Teacher resource for planning or adapting to use with pupils

The Bugesera region of Rwanda lies in the south-eastern part of the country. In the 1940s, this region was sparsely populated on account of the prevalence of the tsetse fly. Although soils were fertile, few people inhabited the area. In 1959, a research station was opened at Karama village and this marked the beginning of the systematic settlement of Bugesera.

As part of the government’s strategy to eradicate the tsetse fly, the government embarked on a systematic creation of experimental paysannats (organised settlements) near LakeRweru and along the AkanyaruRiver. By 1969, the paysannats of the west of Ngenda were inhabited to about 77% capacity. In the same period, official settlement was followed closely by spontaneous settlement. This spontaneous settlement intensified in the period 1970–1974 and was nearly completed by the occupation of the eastern Bugesera.

The heads of families who inhabited Ngenda came from Gikongoro prefecture (37%) and Butare (44%), other zones of Rwanda, and from Burundi (19%).

Taken from: Stratégie Nationale de l’environnement au Rwanda (SNER), MINIPLAN, 1991