CP Vincent Sano, Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, receives the firefighting truck from Eric Mpayimana, Chief Executive Officer of Rusumo Power Company Limited
Kigali — Rusumo Power Company Limited, the tripartite firm jointly owned by Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, has donated a state-of-the-art fire engine to the Rwanda National Police to strengthen emergency response and public safety.
The handover, which took place on Friday, forms part of the company’s broader commitment to supporting communities around its operations. Each of the three partner countries in the Rusumo hydropower project received a similar firefighting vehicle.
CP Vincent Sano, Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, received the firefighting truck at the Rwanda National Police General Headquarters in Kacyiru, Kigali.
He noted that the truck will strengthen fire response capacity, helping protect lives, property, and improve public safety as the country continues to grow.
The donated fire engine is capable of extinguishing fires in buildings up to 20 meters high and is equipped with rescue tools used to clear fallen trees or accident debris. It also carries equipment for cutting windows and doors to reach people trapped inside burning or collapsed structures.
Valued at €759,100 (about Rwf 1.3 billion), the vehicle represents a significant boost to Rwanda’s disaster-response capacity.
Speaking at the handover, Eric Mpayimana, Chief Executive Officer of Rusumo Power Company Limited, said the company’s role goes beyond generating and distributing electricity across the three countries.
“Normally, producing and distributing power in Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi is not the only thing we do,” he said. “We also support community welfare so that people living near our operations benefit from our activities. We chose to donate fire engines so that, in case of accidents, communities can be rescued quickly.”
He added that the fire engine was officially handed over to the police because it is the institution mandated to prevent and respond to fire incidents.
Police spokesperson Boniface Rutikanga welcomed the donation, describing it as a critical contribution to protecting lives and property.
“This gesture shows that safety was considered from the start,” Rutikanga said. “While this company has delivered an important electricity project, power, when misused, can also cause serious fires. That is why attention was given to the safety of users, the protection of buildings supplied with electricity, and the lives of people who could be affected by fire incidents.”
He added that the new fire engine will strengthen police capacity to respond quickly and professionally, helping reduce loss of life and property.
According to Rutikanga, the vehicle will support operations in different parts of the country, including hard-to-reach areas, and will play a key role in rescue missions, rapid response, and fire-prevention awareness campaigns for the public.
