In Gicumbi district, a quiet but powerful shift is underway. For generations, many rural traders, cooperative members and ordinary residents kept their hard-earned money hidden at home a practice known as “kubika mu kimuga.” The risks were clear: theft, loss and limited access to formal finance.
Today that old habit is giving way to a new culture of cashless payments. On 21 August 2026 the third edition of the national campaign “Twagiye kashiresi” (We’ve gone cashless) was launched in Gicumbi.
Organised by the Ministry of ICT and innovation together with the National Bank of Rwanda, UNCDF, Access to Finance Rwanda, the Better Than Cash Alliance and the Rwanda ICT Chamber, the drive aims to make digital payments the everyday norm in shops, schools, cooperatives and households.
“Using e-kash is fast development,” said Ayinkamiye Beatrice. “I no longer travel to pay school fees. If money is sent to the wrong place, the telecom records help me get it back. Everything is written on the phone.”
Motorcycle taxi driver Niyonsenga Methode Robert added: “When passengers pay me by phone I don’t waste time looking for change. Before, while I was away changing money, someone could steal my motorbike.”
Vice mayor in charges of economic development Uwera Parfaite noted that officials continue to educate residents: “We keep explaining the benefits of cashless and e-Cash. People save time and gain real security for their money.”
Rwanda ICT Chamber CEO Ntare Alex emphasized the business angle: “Cashless keeps a clear record of your trade. That helps when you need a loan. With e-kash you don’t waste a whole day travelling to collect or pay money.”
Maurice Kajangwe, the official in charge of digital transformation at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation reassures citizens that earlier worries about transaction charges have largely disappeared: “Digital payments remove disputes because everything is recorded, and they protect people from thieves.”
Gicumbi is home to 294 cooperatives, 164 schools and nearly 7,600 small businesses. The campaign will next move to Rutsiro, Rusizi, Ngoma, Rulindo, Gakenke, Ngororero and Nyabihu. Rwanda is turning the page on cash under the mattress and writing a safer, faster financial future on mobile screens.
Naomi Irakoze Mugaragu.
