Heavy rains earlier this week have caused serious damage in Kimisagara sector of Nyarugenge district, where according to initial assessments three local traders have lost most of their property, although officials said inspection was still ongoing.

Noheli Hakizimana, one of the local traders whose business was ruined by the rainwater and mud, said he estimates his losses at more than Frw 4 million.

Eyewitnesses say that the disaster was caused by rainwater from gutters. "When it rained, I stayed into the house as usual, but soon the water started flowing in," said Marie Solange Ingabire. "So I asked for support from my neighbors to take out some of the commodities, but as the water kept rising we had to run away to save our lives."

She said all the goods she had in the boutique, including cement, sugar, flour and rice, were destroyed, and she also lost money. She had yet to calculate the exact extent of her losses. "I had remained with Frw 300,000 after buying potatoes, but there was a lot of money from," she cried. "I couldn't save anything, I had to save my life."

Jean Marie Vianney Ndayisenga, the secretary executive of Kimisagara sector, said an expert was expected to make a detailed assessment of the damage.

During this rain season, similar cases have been reported in many neighborhoods of Kigali city where properties worth millions have been ravaged and even some casualties reported.