Gitega
Gitega, formerly Kitega, is the political capital of Burundi.
Located in the centre of the country, in the Burundian central plateau roughly 62 kilometres (39 mi) east of Bujumbura, the largest city and former political capital, Gitega is the country's fourth largest city and former royal capital of the Kingdom of Burundi until its abolition in 1966. In December 2018, former President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would follow on a 2007 promise to return Gitega its former political capital status, with Bujumbura remaining as economic capital and centre of commerce. A vote in the Parliament of Burundi made the change official on 16 January 2019, with all branches of government expected to move in over three years.
Getting to Gitega
There are roads from all directions, and you can get in by bus, taxi or driving yourself. The distance from Bujumbura, the largest city where Burundi's international airport is located, is 62 km (39 mi). Gitega has an airport (GID), but as of April 2020 there are no scheduled services.
Getting around Gitega the local way
- Get inTo do this, take a bus to Kabanga, Tanzania, and from there take a shared taxi to the Burundian border.
- Get inYou can also take a bus to Bujumburu from the border via Mabanda after taking a boda-boda through the border post.
- Get inShared taxis are available to the border from Kigoma.
- Get inMinibuses also run from Gatumba on the DRC border to Bujumbura.
- Get inYou can use the ferries to travel along Lake Tanganyika, but they do not operate regularly.
From Wikivoyage: Burundi, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.