Gahini is a village and

sector Sector may refer to: Places * Sector, West Virginia, U.S. Geometry * Circular sector, the portion of a disc enclosed by two radii and a circular arc * Hyperbolic sector, a region enclosed by two radii and a hyperbolic arc * Spherical sector, a po ...

Kayonza District Kayonza is a district (''akarere'') located in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Mukarange.The population of Kayonza District is projected to 344,157 people in 2012, living in 12 sectors (''imirenge''): Gahini, Kabare, Kabarondo, Mukarang ...

, Eastern Province,

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

. It is situated on a hill, at an altitude of 1,520 metres (4,990 ft) above sea-level, close to the eastern edge of

Lake Muhazi Lake Muhazi ( rw, Ikiyaga cya 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.UN Field Support It is ...

and by road from the capital,

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

. The village is the centre of one of the nine

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

s of the Eglise Episcopale au Rwanda, the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church of Rwanda, and one of the four Rwandan sites chosen by the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

, who built a large

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

and

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s in the village.

History

Little is known of Gahini in pre-colonial times, but under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

rule the village became an important transport junctionKatharine Makower (1999) ''The Coming of the Rain'', p. 56. Paternoster Press. linking the lake with the north-south and eastbound roads. From 1922 the area was temporarily under

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

control as part of the surveying process for the proposed

Cape-Cairo railway The Cape to Cairo Railway was an unfinished project to create a railway line crossing Africa from south to north. It would have been the largest and most important railway of that continent. It was planned as a link between Cape Town in Sout ...

, which enabled Doctors Leonard Sharp and Zoe Stanley Smith of the Church Missionary Society, to start missionary and medical work across eastern Ruanda.Katharine Makower (1999) ''The Coming of the Rain'', p. 55. Paternoster Press. This land was returned to Belgium in 1924 but the rulers allowed the Church Missionary Society to continue its work, which meant a permanent mission could then be set up.

Geoffrey Holmes Geoffrey Holmes (19 February 1894, Toronto– 7 May 1964, Woking) was a British ice hockey player who competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics. He was a member of the British ice hockey team, which won the bronze medal. Holmes attended the Roy ...

, a good friend of the Rwandan King

Musinga Yuhi Musinga (Yuhi V of Rwanda, 1883 – 13 January 1944) was a king of Rwanda who came to power in 1896 and collaborated with the German government to strengthen his own kingship. In 1931 he was deposed by the Belgian administration because of hi ...

, was in charge of this enterprise and he chose Gahini to be the site. He was joined by Rev Herbert Jackson and

Kosiya Shalita Kosiya Shalita was an Anglican bishop in Anglican Church of Uganda, Uganda. Shalita was ordained deacon in 1933 and priest in 1934.Crockford's Clerical Directory 1975/6 p863: London; Oxford University Press, OUP; 1976 He was consecrated Bishop o ...

, a native of Gahini who had fled to

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

30 years earlier, become a Christian, and now wished to return home.

Economy and tourism

Gahini hospital, established by

John Edward Church John Edward Church (10 August 1899 29 September 1989), commonly referred to as Joe Church, was a British missionary who served with Church Mission Society (CMS). Dr. Joe Church served primarily in Rwanda and Uganda. He left England in 1927 and ser ...

of the Church Missionary Society, is one of the largest in the Eastern Province with facilities including maternity,

orthopaedic surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

treatment, a rehabilitation centre for persons with physical disabilities and an eye clinic used by patients from across Rwanda. There is cell called video center which is most popular and most economical activities are done there. 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 Park Akagera National Park is a protected area in eastern Rwanda covering along the international border with Tanzania. It was founded in 1934 and includes savannah, montane and swamp habitats. The park is named for the Kagera River which flows along ...

, and as venues for lake tourism, offering boating, fishing and bird watching.Dusabe, Caroline (7 March 2009).
The Thrills At Lake Muhazi, Jambo Beach
. East African Business Week (Kampala). Accessed 23 February 2010.

Notable people

* Innocent Himbaza, theologian and hebraist *

Manasse Mbonye Manasse Mbonye is a theoretical astrophysicist born in Gahini, Rwanda. He is currently Executive Secretary of the National Council for Science and Technology in Kigali. Early life and education Mbonye's parents (Reuben Rwabuzisoni, father) were ...

, astrophysicist

References

{{reflist Populated places in Rwanda Sectors of Rwanda Eastern Province, Rwanda