Kirehe District is one of the seven Districts making up the Eastern Province. It is made up of twelve (12) administrative Sectors, 60 Cells and 612 Imidugudu ‘administrative villages’.
Kirehe District extends over a total area of 1,118.5 km2 with about 315 thousand inhabitants. It is one among the districts in Rwanda characterized by high temperatures.
However the districts environmentalist Sylvin Mutabaruka says that the savanna type very dense and in big variety prevalent with acacia trees and the few existing natural forests and the existence of river Kagera that sweeps the south eastern part of the district contribute much to favorable alternate temperatures .
As explained by Mutabaruka in charge of environmental protection, half of the district is characterized by droughts adding that officials have adopted a new policy of reducing the use of forests for firewood which has been the main source of energy by introducing the use of domestic biogas.
Due to climate change impacts to the district and droughts, Mutabaruka reiterated that the district in collaboration with the government funded irrigation GFI managed to construct irrigation schemes along river Kagera shores that are aided by farmers during sunny seasons.
In a bid to overcome the impacts of droughts caused by inadequate forest cover in the district residents are urged to practice agro forestry. This is aided by the monthly community work known as Umuganda where every resident is asked to plant a tree on every gathering.
Sylivin Mutabaruka outscored the districts project of availing clean water in the district to 85% by 2015.
