The leadership of City of Kigali has written to three football clubs it financially supports, asking them to merge and form a single team by March 30, 2026.
The clubs concerned are AS Kigali, Kiyovu Sports and Gasogi United, all of which compete in the Rwanda Premier League.
In a letter sent to AS Kigali on March 12, 2026, Kigali City reminded the club that during a meeting held on June 27, 2025, the parties discussed the idea of pooling resources to build a single men’s football team representing the City of Kigali, which would compete starting from the 2026/2027 season.
In the letter, Kigali City Mayor Samuel Dusengiyumva stated that the financial support previously allocated to individual clubs would instead be directed toward building the new Kigali City team.
“I am writing to inform you that the financial support previously granted to your club will be used to build the Kigali City team that is currently being established. We therefore ask you to join efforts with the other clubs supported by the City of Kigali,” the letter reads.
The city administration requested that AS Kigali, Gasogi United FC, and Kiyovu Sports FC merge and form a single team in order to make the plan of consolidating resources possible.
The clubs were asked to submit their final decision to the City of Kigali by March 30, 2026, after consulting with their respective members.
All three clubs currently play in the Rwanda Premier League and have been receiving financial support from the City of Kigali to help supplement their budgets and promote sports and entertainment activities in the city.
Last year, AS Kigali received over Rwf 257 million from the city, despite presenting a budget of more than Rwf 700 million. The funding gap later caused financial difficulties for the club, including delayed salaries that led players to suspend training for more than a week.