Kimironko Market
Kigali's largest covered market: fruit, kitenge cloth and tailors sewing on the spot.
Duration
1 hr – 2 hrs
Best time
In the morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Kimironko is the largest covered market in Kigali and it works for residents, not for visitors. It is organised by section: fruit and vegetables at the entrance, dried fish and beans at the back, cloth and tailoring along one side.
The fabric section is the one worth the trip: you choose a length of kitenge, take it to a tailor sitting a few metres away with his machine, give your measurements, and the garment is ready in a day or two. Prices are haggled, but less hard than elsewhere in East Africa.
Getting there
Kimironko district, east of the centre. Moto-taxi from the centre, fifteen minutes, or a city bus.
Rules on site
Plastic bags are banned in Rwanda and confiscated: bring a cloth bag. Photographing the traders must be asked, and is often refused.