Gitega, formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi. It is located in the country’s center, in the Burundian central plateau, roughly 62 kilometres east of Bujumbura. It is the country’s fourth largest city and the former royal capital of the Kingdom of Burundi until its abolition in 1966. We arrived during stormy weather, parked downtown, and hired a local man to guide us around for an hour for 10,000 BIF.
In December 2018, then Burundian president, the late 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. 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.
Though the government’s move to Gitega was expected to be concluded in or about 2022, it was not, and the transition efforts, including the construction of new government offices, will probably continue forever, as you can see from our photos.
