Amateka ya Kigali mu gihe cy’ubukoloni
Kigali ni umurwa mukuru w'u Rwanda ikaba iri hagati mu gihugu, uetese kuba umurwa mukuru ni umujyi ukorerwa ibintu bitandukanye kuko ubarizwa ubucuruzi,inganda n'ibindi bikorwa by'ingirakamaro.
Mu 1885, abahagarariye ibihugu by’Iburayi bahuriye i Berilini kugira ngo bagabane Afurika babone uko bayikoloniza. u Rwanda n’Uburundi bihabwa Ubudage maze biyoborwa nk’igice cy'akolonizwaga n’Ubudage cyo mu burasirazuba. Ubudage ntibwari bugamije gukoloniza u Rwanda n’Uburundi cyangwa gutuza Abanyaburayi muri ibyo bihugu maze buhitamo gutegeka ibyo bihugu bukoresheje ubutegetsi buziguye bugizwe n’Abanyaburayi bake cyane.
Bimwe mu byanditswe ku Rwanda ni ibyanditswe na Adolphius Frederick wa Mecklenberg wavuze ngo « U Rwanda ni igihugu gitemba amata n’ubuki, aho ubworozi bw’inka n’ubw’inzuki bumeze neza kandi aho ubutaka buhinze bwuzuye imbuto. Ni igihugu cy’imisozi, gituwe cyane, gitatswe n’ubwiza kandi gifite ikirere cyuzuye amahumbezi kibereye ubuzima mu mutima w’Afurika (National Geographic 1912).
Mu 1907, Rezida wa mbere w’u Rwanda, abigiriwemo inama na Dr Richard Kandt, yashyizeho uhagarariye abakoloni muri Kigali hafi y’aho isoko rya Gakinjiro riri ubu mu Murenge wa Cyahafi. Mu 1909, amazu 20 y’ubucuruzi yarubatswe aho isoko rya Nyarugenge riri n’ikigo cya gisirikare cyubakwa aho gereza nkuru ya Kigali iri. Muri icyo gihe abantu bari batuye ahari ibitaro bya Kigali ubu.
Kigali yahoze ari ihuriro ry’abakoloni ridafitanye umubano mwinshi n’ibindi bihugu kugeza mu gihe cy’intambara ya mbere y’isi yose. Ku wa 6 Gicurasi 1916, ingabo z’Ababiligi zinjiye muri Kigali zitangaza ko zatsinze Abadage.
Ababiligi ntibishimiye kuba Abadage barahisemo Kigali ngo ibe umurwa mukuru maze bahitamo ko Nyanza yahoze ari ibwami ari yo yabamo ubuyobozi. Nyuma y’irangira ry’Intambara ya Mbere y’Isi mu 1919 u Rwanda rwagizwe indagizo n’Umuryango w’Ibihugu maze rukomezwa kuyoborwa n’Ababiligi. Mu 1921, Kigali yongeye kugirwa umurwa mukuru w’ubutegetsi bw’u Rwanda, ariko umurwa mukuru w’ubutegetsi bwa Rwanda-Urundi wari i Bujumbura, umurwa mukuru w’Uburundi iki gihe.
Mu gihe cy’ubutegetsi bw’Ababiligi, Umujyi wa Kigali wakuraga buhoro kandi wari gusa mu mpinga y’agasozi ka Nyarugenge. Ubwo u Rwanda rwabonaga ubwigenge ku ya 1 nyakanga 1962, Kigali yakomeje kuba akadugudu ahanini karimo umurwa mukuru w’ubutegetsi. Mu 1962, abaturage ba Kigali bari hagati y’ibihumbi bitanu na bitandatu, kandi igice cy’umujyi cyari kilometero kare eshatu.
