Lake Muhazi
Encyclopedia
Lake Muhazi is a long thin shallow lake
in the east of Rwanda
. The bulk of the lake lies in the Eastern Province, with the western end forming the border between the Northern and Kigali Provinces. It is a flooded valley lake, lying predominantly in an east to west direction, but with numerous offshoots in a north to south direction, formerly the location of tributaries. The lake has a concrete dam at the western end, constructed in 1999 to replace an earth dam which had existed since time immemorial. The lake empties into the Nyabugogo River, which flows southwards to Kigali
where it meets the Nyabarongo River, part of the upper Nile.
and Gisaka. By playing these neighbours against each other, the early kingdom flourished in the area, expanding westwards towards Lake Kivu. In this expanded kingdom, the Buganza region became a powerful religious site, being synonymous with the earliest and most revered mwami
s of the kingdom. In the late 16th or early 17th centuries, the kingdom of Rwanda was invaded by the Banyoro and the kings forced to flee westward, leaving the Lake Muhazi area in the hands of Bugesera and Gisaka.
The formation in the 17th century of a new Rwandan dynasty by mwami Ruganzu Ndori, followed by eastward invasions, the retaking of Buganza and the conquest of Bugesera, marked the beginning of the Rwandan kingdom's dominance in the area. Lake Muhazi became a border zone between Rwanda and the still independent Gisaka, a situation which remained in place for 200 years, despite several unsuccessful attempts by the Rwandan kings to subdue Gisaka. Eventually, in around 1830, Gisaka was annexed and the eastern borders of the state began to take their present form, with the lake fully under Rwandan control.
Under German
and Belgian
colonial rule the lake became an important east–west transport route, linking Kigali and the west of the country with the north-south and eastbound roads from Gahini
. From 1922, the eastern area was temporarily under British
control as part of the surveying process for the proposed Cape-Cairo railway
, a period during which the Church Missionary Society (CMS), started missionary and medical work across eastern Rwanda. This land was returned to Belgium in 1924 but the rulers allowed the CMS to continue its work, and a permanent mission and hospital was set up close to Lake Muhazi in Gahini village.
In common with the rest of the country, Lake Muhazi was the scene of many horrific killings during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
. Large numbers of bodies were put in the lake by Interahamwe
militias, while others drowned attempting to escape; witnesses described the water at the time as "mixed with blood."
There are a number of bird species around the lake. These include African Fish Eagle
s (Haliaeetus vocifer), Malachite Kingfisher
s (Alcedo cristata), Pied Kingfisher
s (Ceryle rudis), Swamp Flycatcher
s (Muscicapa aquatica), Village Weaver
s (Ploceus cucullatus), Speckled Mousebird
s (Colius striatus), Black-lored
(Turdoides melanops) and Arrow-marked
(T. jardineii) Babblers, African Paradise-flycatchers (Terpsiphone viridis), Scarlet-chested
(Nectarinia senegalensis), Bronze
(N. kilimensis) and Green-headed
(N. verticalis) Sunbirds, Yellow-fronted Canaries
(Serinus mozambicus), Green-winged Pytilia
s (Pytilia melba), Great
(Phalacrocorax carbo) and White-breasted
(P. lucidus) Cormorants, Openbill
(Anastomus lamelligerus) and Yellow-billed
(Mycteria ibis) Storks and Cattle Egret
s (Bubulcus ibis). There is also a pair of semi-domesticated Grey Crowned Crane
s (Balearica regulorum) at the Jambo Beach resort in Gahini.
Various fish
species have been introduced to the lake over the years, including marbled lungfish
(Protopterus aethiopicus) in 1989, and tilapia
at various times including 2003 and 2009, in an attempt to reduce reliance on imports.
The phytoplankton
of the lake is predominantly Microcystis aeruginosa
and Ceratium hirundinella.
, and as venues for lake tourism, offering boating, fishing and bird watching. There are also several resorts at Rwesero, on the north-eastern shore of the lake, including Rwesero Beach, offering camping accommodation and also popular with day-trippers from Kigali.
A new resort, the Lake Muhazi Golf & Country Resort and Boulevard, is planned for the southern shore of the lake, on the Gati Peninsular. The project was launched in 2006 at the Kigali Serena Hotel (formerly the Intercontinental Hotel), and was anticipated to be constructed in three phases. If completed as announced, the resort will occupy a site 250 acres (1 km²) acres in area and will feature 52 housing units, a golf course
and a country resort. The contract for the first phase was awarded in June 2007, with a value of over US$26.6 million and estimated construction time of 18 months. As of 2010, however, there is no evidence that work has begun and the project appears to be on hold or cancelled.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the east of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. The bulk of the lake lies in the Eastern Province, with the western end forming the border between the Northern and Kigali Provinces. It is a flooded valley lake, lying predominantly in an east to west direction, but with numerous offshoots in a north to south direction, formerly the location of tributaries. The lake has a concrete dam at the western end, constructed in 1999 to replace an earth dam which had existed since time immemorial. The lake empties into the Nyabugogo River, which flows southwards to Kigali
Kigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
where it meets the Nyabarongo River, part of the upper Nile.
History
According to oral history the Kingdom of Rwanda was founded in the 14th or 15th centuries on the shores of Lake Muhazi in the Buganza and Bwanacyambwe regions. At that time it was a small state in a loose confederation with larger and more powerful neighbours, BugeseraBugesera
Bugesera is a district in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Nyamata.The district is the location of two memorial sites of the Rwandan Genocide: the Ntarama Genocide Memorial Site and the Nyamata Genocide Memorial Site.- Geography :...
and Gisaka. By playing these neighbours against each other, the early kingdom flourished in the area, expanding westwards towards Lake Kivu. In this expanded kingdom, the Buganza region became a powerful religious site, being synonymous with the earliest and most revered mwami
Mwami
Mwami is the chiefly title in Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the Congolese Nande and Bashi languages, Luhya in Kenya and various other Bantu languages, such as the Tonga language . The word is usually translated as king...
s of the kingdom. In the late 16th or early 17th centuries, the kingdom of Rwanda was invaded by the Banyoro and the kings forced to flee westward, leaving the Lake Muhazi area in the hands of Bugesera and Gisaka.
The formation in the 17th century of a new Rwandan dynasty by mwami Ruganzu Ndori, followed by eastward invasions, the retaking of Buganza and the conquest of Bugesera, marked the beginning of the Rwandan kingdom's dominance in the area. Lake Muhazi became a border zone between Rwanda and the still independent Gisaka, a situation which remained in place for 200 years, despite several unsuccessful attempts by the Rwandan kings to subdue Gisaka. Eventually, in around 1830, Gisaka was annexed and the eastern borders of the state began to take their present form, with the lake fully under Rwandan control.
Under German
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
and Belgian
Ruanda-Urundi
Ruanda-Urundi was a Belgian suzerainty from 1916 to 1924, a League of Nations Class B Mandate from 1924 to 1945 and then a United Nations trust territory until 1962, when it became the independent states of Rwanda and Burundi.- Overview :...
colonial rule the lake became an important east–west transport route, linking Kigali and the west of the country with the north-south and eastbound roads from Gahini
Gahini
Gahini is a village and sector in Kayonza District, Eastern Province, Rwanda. It is situated on a hill, at an altitude of 1,520 metres above sea-level, close to the eastern edge of Lake Muhazi and by road from the capital, Kigali...
. From 1922, the eastern area was temporarily under British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
control as part of the surveying process for the proposed Cape-Cairo railway
Cape-Cairo railway
The Cape to Cairo Railway is an uncompleted project to cross Africa from south to north by rail. This plan was initiated at the end of the 18th century, during the time of colonial rule, largely under the vision of Cecil Rhodes, in the attempt to connect adjacent African possessions of the British...
, a period during which the Church Missionary Society (CMS), started missionary and medical work across eastern Rwanda. This land was returned to Belgium in 1924 but the rulers allowed the CMS to continue its work, and a permanent mission and hospital was set up close to Lake Muhazi in Gahini village.
In common with the rest of the country, Lake Muhazi was the scene of many horrific killings during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
. Large numbers of bodies were put in the lake by Interahamwe
Interahamwe
The Interahamwe is a Hutu paramilitary organization. The militia enjoyed the backing of the Hutu-led government leading up to, during, and after the Rwandan Genocide. Since the genocide, they have been forced out of Rwanda, and have sought asylum in Congo...
militias, while others drowned attempting to escape; witnesses described the water at the time as "mixed with blood."
Flora and fauna
The lake is noted for its large population of Spotted-necked Otters (Hydrictis maculicollis) with an estimated 200 to 400 individuals in 1990, a density of around 20 individuals per 10 km of shoreline.There are a number of bird species around the lake. These include African Fish Eagle
African Fish Eagle
The African Fish Eagle or – to distinguish it from the true fish eagles , the African Sea Eagle – is a large species of eagle that is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water occur that have an abundant food supply. As a result of its large range, it is known in many...
s (Haliaeetus vocifer), Malachite Kingfisher
Malachite Kingfisher
The Malachite Kingfisher is a river kingfisher which is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara. It is largely resident except for seasonal climate related movements....
s (Alcedo cristata), Pied Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
The Pied Kingfisher is a water kingfisher and is found widely distributed across Africa and Asia. Their black and white plumage, crest and the habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish makes it distinctive. Males have a double band across the breast while females have a...
s (Ceryle rudis), Swamp Flycatcher
Swamp Flycatcher
The Swamp Flycatcher or Swamp Alseonax is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal,...
s (Muscicapa aquatica), Village Weaver
Village Weaver
The Village Weaver , also known as the Spotted-backed Weaver or Black-headed Weaver , is a species of bird found in much of sub-Saharan Africa...
s (Ploceus cucullatus), Speckled Mousebird
Speckled Mousebird
The Speckled Mousebird is the largest species of mousebird, as well as one of the most common.- Description :This bird is about 35 cm long, with the tail comprising approximately half the length, and weighs about 57 grams...
s (Colius striatus), Black-lored
Black-lored Babbler
The Black-lored Babbler is a species of songbird in the Timaliidae familyAs defined here, it consists of two populations with widely separated ranges, one in northwestern Botswana, northern Namibia, and Angola; the other in southwestern Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and the part of the...
(Turdoides melanops) and Arrow-marked
Arrow-marked Babbler
The Arrow-marked Babbler is a species of bird in the babbler family Timaliidae.-Distribution and habitat:It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,...
(T. jardineii) Babblers, African Paradise-flycatchers (Terpsiphone viridis), Scarlet-chested
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
The Scarlet-chested Sunbird is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya,...
(Nectarinia senegalensis), Bronze
Bronze Sunbird
The Bronze Sunbird is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe....
(N. kilimensis) and Green-headed
Green-headed Sunbird
The Green-headed Sunbird is a species of bird in the Nectariniidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,...
(N. verticalis) Sunbirds, Yellow-fronted Canaries
Yellow-fronted Canary
The Yellow-fronted Canary is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is known elsewhere and in aviculture as the Green Singing Finch....
(Serinus mozambicus), Green-winged Pytilia
Green-winged Pytilia
The Green-winged Pytilia is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of .It is found in most of Africa south of the Sahara...
s (Pytilia melba), Great
Great Cormorant
The Great Cormorant , known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds...
(Phalacrocorax carbo) and White-breasted
White-breasted Cormorant
The White-breasted Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of the Great Cormorant, in which case it is referred to as Phalacrocorax carbo lucidus. However some authorities The White-breasted Cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus) is a...
(P. lucidus) Cormorants, Openbill
African Openbill Stork
The African Openbill is a species of stork in the Ciconiidae family.-Habitat and distribution:It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea,...
(Anastomus lamelligerus) and Yellow-billed
Yellow-billed Stork
The Yellow-billed Stork, Mycteria ibis, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It occurs in Africa south of the Sahara and in Madagascar....
(Mycteria ibis) Storks and Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
s (Bubulcus ibis). There is also a pair of semi-domesticated Grey Crowned Crane
Grey Crowned Crane
The Grey Crowned Crane is a bird in the crane family Gruidae. It occurs in dry savannah in Africa south of the Sahara, although it nests in somewhat wetter habitats. This animal does not migrate....
s (Balearica regulorum) at the Jambo Beach resort in Gahini.
Various fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
species have been introduced to the lake over the years, including marbled lungfish
Marbled Lungfish
The marbled lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus, is a lungfish of the family Protopteridae. Also known as the leopard lungfish, it is found in Africa...
(Protopterus aethiopicus) in 1989, and tilapia
Tilapia
Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...
at various times including 2003 and 2009, in an attempt to reduce reliance on imports.
The phytoplankton
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton are the autotrophic component of the plankton community. The name comes from the Greek words φυτόν , meaning "plant", and πλαγκτός , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Most phytoplankton are too small to be individually seen with the unaided eye...
of the lake is predominantly Microcystis aeruginosa
Microcystis aeruginosa
Microcystis aeruginosa is a species of freshwater cyanobacteria which can form harmful algal blooms that are of economic and ecological importance...
and Ceratium hirundinella.
Economy and tourism
The Muhazi lake shore at Gahini is popular with tourists and features two resorts: the Seeds of Peace centre, which offers accommodation, and Jambo Beach. These are used both as stop off points for journeys to or from Akagera National ParkAkagera National Park
The Akagera National Park covers 1,200km² in eastern Rwanda, against the Tanzanian border. It was founded in 1934 to protect animals and vegetation in three ecoregions: savannah, mountain and swamp. The park is named for the Kagera River which flows along its eastern boundary feeding into several...
, and as venues for lake tourism, offering boating, fishing and bird watching. There are also several resorts at Rwesero, on the north-eastern shore of the lake, including Rwesero Beach, offering camping accommodation and also popular with day-trippers from Kigali.
A new resort, the Lake Muhazi Golf & Country Resort and Boulevard, is planned for the southern shore of the lake, on the Gati Peninsular. The project was launched in 2006 at the Kigali Serena Hotel (formerly the Intercontinental Hotel), and was anticipated to be constructed in three phases. If completed as announced, the resort will occupy a site 250 acres (1 km²) acres in area and will feature 52 housing units, a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
and a country resort. The contract for the first phase was awarded in June 2007, with a value of over US$26.6 million and estimated construction time of 18 months. As of 2010, however, there is no evidence that work has begun and the project appears to be on hold or cancelled.