Gitega (French pronunciation:[ɡiteɡa]), formerly Kitega, is the political capitalofBurundi. Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau[2] roughly 62 kilometres (39 mi) east of Bujumbura, the largest city and former political capital, Gitega is also the second largest city[3] and former royal capital of the Kingdom of Burundi until its abolition in 1966.[4][note 1] In late December 2018, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status,[4] with Bujumbura remaining as economic capital and centre of commerce.[5] A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, with all branches of government expected to move in over three years.[6][needs update]
Gitega is the capital of Gitega Province, one of the eighteen provinces of Burundi. It is located in the center of the country, at roughly the same distance between the commercial capital, Bujumbura on Lake Tanganyika to the west, the Tanzanian border to the east—both at around 62 kilometres (39 mi)—and the Rwandan border, about 72 kilometres (45 mi) to the north. It lies on a broad plateau surrounded by hills, a few kilometres southwest of the confluence of the Ruvyironza and Rurubu Rivers.[7]Ruvubu National Park, the country's biggest, lies 26 kilometres (16 mi) to the east.[8]
The Germans founded the town of Gitega in 1912 back when Burundi was part of German East Africa.[9]
In March 2007, President of BurundiPierre Nkurunziza announced that Burundi was planning to bring back its capital city to Gitega, saying that it is in a better location for a capital than Bujumbura.[10]
On 24 December 2018, it was announced by Nkurunziza that Gitega was to become the capital city of Burundi, pending only Parliament approval.[4][11] The expected parliamentary assent (given the President's CNDD-FFD party comfortable majority in both chambers) arrived through a vote on 16 January 2019, with some ministries already starting the move two days later.[6]
On 7 December 2021, a fire broke out in an overcrowded prison in Gitega, killing at least 38 and injuring more than 69.[12]
Gitega was served by Gitega Airport, which is now defunct.[when?] Gitega is served by four National Roads (Routes Nationales, RN): RN2 connects it with Bujumbura through the northwest, via Muramvya and Bujumbura Rural provinces. RN15 leads to the north of country, towards Ngozi and continuing on to Rwanda, while passing through the ancient royal court of Gishora; RN12, which separates from RN15 on the outskirts of Gitega, heads northeast to serve the provinces of Karuzi and Muyinga. The last is RN3, which heads towards the southwest towards Rumonge and Lake Tanganyika.[15]
^From 1922 on, Usumbura (now Bujumbura) acted as a second, colonial, administrative and economic capital of the country; it effectively became its only political capital between the abolition of the monarchy in 1966 and January 2019.[citation needed]
^ ab"Burundi to change its capital city". BBC World News. British Broadcasting Company. 17 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019. The vote took place on Wednesday and the leader of parliament said the move would take place over three years.
^Hughes, R.H.; Hughes, J.S. (1992). A Directory of African Wetlands. Cambridge, United Kingdom: International Union for Conservation of Nature. p. 97. ISBN2-88032-949-3.
Chrétien, Jean-Pierre (2015). Gitega, capitale du Burundi : une ville du Far West en Afrique orientale allemande, 1912-1916. Paris: Éditions Karthala. ISBN9782811115098.
