0
0
During a brief afternoon shower on May 14, 2026, around 2:00 PM, lightning struck and killed two cows that were sheltered together in the same enclosure in Kanyukiro Village, Basa Cell, Rugerero Sector, Rubavu District. One of the cows had been given to Habarugira Jean Bosco’s wife, Bazimaziki Olive, through the Girinka program, while the other belonged to a neighbor named Nyiramanza and was still nursing a calf.
Speaking to The Forefront Magazine, Habarugira Jean Bosco said the family was shocked that lightning could kill livestock during such light rain. “My cow had a three-week-old calf, and the neighbor’s cow also had one of her own, the one that was still nursing. Lightning killed both of them, and the nursing calf barely survived the strike. I suffered a tremendous loss because that cow was worth two million Rwandan francs to me.
The cow was given to my wife through the Girinka program, and we had raised her for six years. She produced ten liters of milk a day; we sold five liters at 260 Rwandan francs each, and the rest went to our children. As for the calf, it was only three weeks old and still being nursed.”
He explained that the cow had been a tremendous source of support for his family. After the first calf was born, he sold the following one and added that money to what he earned from construction work, which eventually allowed him to build a decent home after years of living in poor conditions.
He sold a third calf during the COVID-19 pandemic when his construction work came to a halt. The money from that sale sustained his family throughout the lockdown, and by the time the pandemic ended, he had managed to stay afloat without borrowing. “Whenever I looked at that cow, I felt deeply grateful to our President Paul Kagame, who lifted me out of poverty and made me a livestock farmer.
My children had milk, I had manure for my crops, and life was good. Now this little calf is left behind, and I don’t know whether it will survive. I have no other source of milk for it, and I can’t afford to buy formula.”
He added, “I am asking the leadership of our sector and my fellow livestock farmers who have witnessed this tragedy to stand by us. If possible, we should be compensated so that what President Kagame worked to build for us does not go to waste.”
Emmanuel Ndabarinze Bukambiza, who represents cattle farmers in Rugerero Sector, confirmed the story to Imvaho Nshya and assured the affected residents that he would coordinate with fellow farmers to arrange compensation. “We will not leave those who have suffered without support. We recently saw the same thing happen in the Eastern Province, where lightning killed cows and sheep belonging to a farmer, and fellow livestock keepers came together and replaced them. That example gave us a powerful lesson about solidarity.”
He continued, “We are real men of character. We are going to discuss this because our defining quality is togetherness. Whenever there is a problem like this, we rally around each other. Think about it: the President of the Republic himself, along with the person who originally helped provide the cow, would be devastated by this loss. We are farmers; we cannot just let it end there. We will act without waiting for the government, because we, the people, are the first government.”
The Executive Secretary of Rugerero Sector, Uwajeneza Jeannette, offered her condolences to the affected residents and expressed confidence that, in keeping with the strong spirit of mutual support that characterizes the people of Rugerero, those who suffered losses would be compensated.
She also noted that the lightning-struck cows had been promptly buried, and she warned residents strongly against digging them up to eat or sell the meat, as doing so would have serious health consequences. “The cows killed by lightning were buried immediately, and we are urging every resident not to exhume them, consume the meat, or attempt to sell it to anyone; it is strictly prohibited.”
