Rwanda: Mutabazi Opens Up On APR Return After Gisagara Deal Collapsed

14 October 2025
The New Times (Kigali)
By Dylan Mugenga

Rwandan star Yves Mutabazi has broken silence that he agreed to a return to APR VC after talks on a potential move to Gisagara VC collapsed.

The former Kepler left attackerconfirmed that he was close to join Gisagara VC before APR hijacked the move after the two parties failed to agree on terms.

Mutabazi was recently spotted wearing APR's black and white colors during the just-concluded Medwell pre-season tournament and reports indicate that he is set to sign a two-year contract with the army club.

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"It's true, after my contract with Kepler VC ended, I was expected to join Gisagara. However, we couldn't agree on some terms during the contract negotiations; then came APR's offer which was among those on my table, and it appealed to me," Mutabazi told Times Sport.

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Mutabazi joined Kepler VC in January 2024 and played for the club until his contract expired in August. He missed the entire second phase of the 2024/25 season due to illness which even prevented him from moving to any other club even after his contract expired in August.

Gisagara VC, now led by Lawrence Yakan Guma, had initially shown interest in signing him back in 2020 when he was with Rwanda Energy Group (REG). They reportedly approached him again after the 2024/25 volleyball season hoping to strengthen their squad alongside more new signings Sylvestre Ndayisaba, Ronald Muvara, and Venuste Gatsinzi who each joined on three-year contracts.

However, the move took a turn and APR are now in pole position to secure his services although the deal is not yet officially finalized.

"Although I've featured for APR in this pre-season, we are still finalizing the agreement. We're in the last stages of our discussions," he said.

Mutabazi is widely recognized for his powerful serves and attacking precision. He remains best remembered for his standout performance at the 2021 African Volleyball Championship held in Kigali, where he helped Rwanda secure sixth place among 12 participating nations.

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