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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Heavy rains accompanied by lightning and strong winds that fell across Rwanda between August 11 and 18, 2025, claimed five lives, injured 13 others, and caused damage to various infrastructure, including houses, a factory, and bridges. The Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) says such incidents are linked to climate change.
Statistics released by MINEMA show that within those eight days, 23 disaster incidents were recorded, most of them caused by lightning. Lightning alone killed five people, injured 13, damaged one house, killed three cows, and destroyed two granaries.
Strong winds also destroyed six houses, while a fire outbreak ravaged a factory in Kicukiro District and burned down four houses. Floods washed away two bridges.
Among the hardest-hit districts was Burera, where lightning killed two people. In Kamonyi, four disaster incidents destroyed six houses and left three people injured.
Other districts that recorded significant impacts include Nyamasheke and Rusizi. Each district reported three disaster incidents that destroyed a bridge. In Rusizi, lightning killed one person and damaged two houses, while in Nyamasheke, eight people were injured and one house was destroyed.
In just two days (August 17–18), 11 disaster incidents were recorded in Burera, Kamonyi, and Rutsiro districts alone, killing three people (out of the five deaths recorded in the eight days), injuring 11 others, destroying seven houses, and washing away a bridge.
According to MINEMA, these disasters are a result of unusually heavy rainfall this month. The ministry explains that Rwanda is entering the rainy season (Umuhindo), a period often characterized by heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and strong winds due to climate change.
The ministry is urging residents to strengthen preventive measures, including inspecting and repairing old houses, fastening rooftops, constructing strong house foundations, planting anti-erosion vegetation, and cleaning water drainage channels. It also warns against standing under trees, near electric poles, or power lines during storms.
Additionally, people are advised to avoid using electrical appliances and to stay indoors whenever it rains with lightning.
