Kigali's Five-Wetland Rehabilitation Programme — Turning Flood Zones into Urban Eco-Parks

Following Rwanda's 2018 wetlands-protection law, which required eviction of informal industry and farming from Kigali's wetlands, the City of Kigali is rehabilitating five interconnected wetlands — Gikondo (162 ha), Nyabugogo Lower (131 ha), Kibumba (68 ha), Rwampara (65 ha) and Rugenge-Rwintare (65 ha), totalling roughly 491 hectares — into flood-control eco-parks, following the template of the earlier Nyandungu Eco-Park.

Regulate stormwater flow and stabilise water tables for a city where wetlands cover about 12.5% of land area, reducing flooding for surrounding neighbourhoods while adding recreational green infrastructure.

Works began in March 2024 and reached about 75% completion by late 2025. Engineering elements include constructed ponds, artificial lakes, sediment-trapping channels and river reprofiling, plus new walking/cycling paths, bird sanctuaries and recreational facilities.

The $27 million programme (Global Environment Facility, World Bank RUDP II, Nordic Development Fund, Government of Rwanda) is expected to benefit over 220,000 residents of surrounding neighbourhoods (Gikondo, Bweramvura, Gatsata) through reduced flooding.

Because the five-wetland phase is still under construction, independent post-completion measurements of flood reduction, water quality or biodiversity recovery are not yet published — the evidence to date concerns engineering design, funding and institutional commitment rather than confirmed ecological outcomes.