Rubengera

Rubengera, also known as Mabanza, is a town and sector in Rwanda. The town is the capital of Karongi District in Western Province, Rwanda.

Rubengera lies in the western mountains of Rwanda between Lake Kivu and the divide that separates the catchments of the Congo River to the west and the Nile. Around 1880 King Kigeli Rwabugiri created a new royal residence at Rubengera on his return from a military expedition to today's North Kivu. It was innovative in its much grander scale than previous residences. Despite its remote location, members of the Tutsi aristocracy were drawn to the new court. The court included granaries in which food was stored, in part to feed the members of the court, but in part to support a supply of relief food to the poor of the region, particularly before the next harvest.