{"id":2000102798,"date":"2026-02-22T14:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T12:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000102798"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T13:03:13","slug":"president-kagame-joins-kigali-residents-for-car-free-day-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/president-kagame-joins-kigali-residents-for-car-free-day-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"President Kagame joins Kigali residents for Car Free Day (Photos)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>State Minister in the Ministry of Sports, Rwego Ngarambe, was also among the officials present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the event, several streets across Kigali were closed to cars and motorcycles from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., allowing thousands of residents to engage in walking, cycling, and other recreational activities such as street tennis and three-on-three basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President Kagame took the opportunity to engage with participants, including children, who joined the event in support of wellness, community, and an active lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Launched in May 2016, Car Free Day aims to promote healthy lifestyles among Kigali residents while also raising awareness about disease prevention. Participants are sometimes offered free health screenings and advice during the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the initiative, held twice a month, started in Kigali, it has since grown into a broader tradition, with other provinces adopting similar activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The City of Kigali highlights that Car Free Day also contributes to environmental conservation, as temporarily reducing vehicle traffic lowers harmful emissions and improves air quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"903\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HBwbV68XgAAW1-f.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000102802\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Various state officials accompanied President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HBwbZFYWcAE0p_D.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000102800\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Kagame took the opportunity to engage with participants, including children, who joined the event in support of wellness, community, and an active lifestyle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4096\" height=\"2654\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/HBwbbAyXgAAYLim.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000102799\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The event is organised twice a month in support of wellness, community, and an active lifestyle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hbvvuwiweaahibk-f3cfe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000102803\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Participants were guided on practical ways to incorporate physical exercise into their daily routines with ease.<br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hbvu7_1wqaa8nd7-f1dcd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000102806\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Comedians Fally Mercy and Umushumba were among the participants in the public sports event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hbvu7_ywiaienly-8aadf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000102804\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/hbvu7_wwuaafwes-3fc51.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000102805\"\/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Paul Kagame, First Lady Jeannette Kagame, and other senior government officials joined residents of Kigali on Sunday, February 22, 2026, for the city\u2019s monthly \u201cCar Free Day\u201d sports event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000102801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000102798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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