University of Rwanda Plans 150-Room Hotel in Huye
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The University of Rwanda plans to build a roughly 150-room hotel in Huye offering three- to five-star accommodation and apartments, as it seeks to earn more of its own revenue.
The University of Rwanda (UR) plans to build a hotel of about 150 rooms in Huye City, part of a wider strategy to generate more of its own revenue and meet growing demand for high-end accommodation in the district, The New Times reports.
Vice Chancellor Prof Didas Kayihura Muganga said the proposed development would offer different levels of accommodation, ranging from three- to five-star services, as well as apartments for researchers, visiting lecturers and other guests staying for longer periods. It is expected to be developed on university-owned land in Itaba, Huye District.
Kayihura said the investment is intended both to create a new revenue stream and to address a gap in Huye's hospitality market, which has no five-star hotel. Huye has two four-star hotels, and according to the Rwanda Statistical Yearbook 2025 the district had 38 accommodation establishments with a combined 938 rooms in 2024.
The university believes the hotel would complement existing hospitality businesses rather than compete with them, given the academics, tourists, sports teams and conference delegates the city attracts. It is pursuing the necessary approvals, including a construction permit, and once completed the property would be managed by experienced hospitality operators.
The hotel is part of UR's effort to finance 63 per cent of its operations from internally generated revenues within four years, pursued mainly through UR Holding and UR Engineering. UR Holding, which began with health-related services, had expanded to 79 projects by 2025, spanning agriculture, fishing, healthcare, recruitment, business services, printing and hospitality. Huye is home to four higher-learning institutions with more than 18,000 students.