Kesho is a hill located in Mashya cell, within the Muhanda sector of Ngororero District. It is a strikingly beautiful hill, carpeted with tea plantations thanks to its proximity to the Rubaya tea factory, which lies in the same sector.
But beyond its scenic greenery, Kesho bears a deep scar from Rwanda’s past. It is the site of a Genocide memorial where 1,407 victims are laid to rest—Tutsis who were slaughtered on that very hill during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Every year, survivors and local residents gather there to remember the horrors that unfolded, and to honor the lives lost.
During the 31st commemoration held at the Kesho Memorial Site, the story of this hill’s particular tragedy was once again brought to light. What sets Kesho apart in the narrative of the Genocide is not just the scale of the killing, but also the chilling tactics used.
As survivors recall, many Tutsis had fled to Kesho seeking safety. At the time, they coexisted peacefully with some neighbors—those who weren’t targeted even helped by bringing them food. But that uneasy calm was shattered in the most grotesque of ways.
On the day of the massacre, a man approached the crowd of refugees carrying a mysterious bundle.
Inside were bees, and when he threw the package into the crowd, the insects swarmed and stung people, driving them into panic. As they scattered in pain and confusion, Interahamwe militias and members of Habyarimana’s presidential guard descended and killed them.
Body of President Juvenal Habyarimana was brought to a nearby factory following his death on the night of April 6, 1994. It is actually his birth place and much of his extended family lived there.
In the days that followed, the ruthless presidential guards mobilised local Interahamwe to carry out the killings on Kesho Hill. Though the Tutsis had tried to resist, they were overpowered by the soldiers’ military force.
Kesho holds another historical significance: it was here, in April 1995, that Rwanda began its very first dignified burial of Genocide victims—an effort led by then-President Pasteur Bizimungu.
As part of KWIBUKA 31 event, Jean Bosco Ntibitura, Governor of the Western Province, laid flowers into the Giciye River.
This river, flowing below Kesho, became a deadly trap during the Genocide. Many who tried to escape the carnage by heading downhill were caught by the river’s force and drowned.
Kesho Hill—lush, green, and peaceful today—remains a solemn reminder of the cruelty that once unfolded there, and a testament to resilience, memory, and national unity.
