A sudden, heavy rain shower hit Rwanda’s capital city yesterday evening, causing big traffic jams and frustration for people trying to get home from work. The rain started around 4 p.m. and quickly made it hard to see and made the roads slippery. Cars had to drive very slowly on main roads like Avenue de la République and the city’s ring road.
Drivers going downhill towards areas like Kimironko, Remera, and Nyabugogo said their usual 15-minute drive turned into more than an hour. Even though traffic officers tried to help at different intersections, there were just too many cars, and the bad weather made it nearly impossible to keep traffic moving smoothly.
This event shows that even a small storm can cause major problems in Kigali during rush hour. Many people are now asking city planners to think about better public transport and improved drainage systems so that future rains don’t cause the same issues.
Kigali is known for being clean and developing quickly. The city is already working on traffic solutions. Projects like the Kigali Urban Transport Improvement Project, which started in March 2025, aim to improve roads, public transport, and make it easier to walk or cycle. Also, the Rwanda Urban Mobility Improvement (RUMI) Project is working on making transport better and more climate-friendly, including plans for electric buses and special bus lanes.
For drainage, the Kigali Centralized Sewerage System project is set to start building its first phase this month, which should greatly improve how wastewater is handled. While these big projects are underway, yesterday’s traffic jam highlighted the immediate need for good backup plans and strong city planning. This will help make sure Kigali’s fast growth can handle the needs of its people, even when the weather is unpredictable.
