The administrator of a prefecture was called a prefet while the commune leader were called chief of commune. This title remained in place until the reform issued on April 15, 1963 by becoming known as bourgmestre. It was on this date that the law governing the structure of the local admnistration was issued. The prefetures remained at ten and the number of communes was reduced from 229 to 1411.
Except, the reduction of the number of communes, there were two other key points that marked the April 1963 reforms. The reforms that the State of Rwanda inherited at the independence conserved the European phonetic for some administrative entities.
For example, it was still said Kibungu prefecture instead of Kibungo, Shangugu instead of Cyangugu or Biumba instead of Byumba. There was even a territory that became a prefecture that retained of a foreign name as it was used udirng colonization. That is the Astrida prefecture that became Butare from April 15, 1963. So the first purpose of the reform was to correct the names of those local entities.
This means that anyone who searches the local administration archives has from July 1, 1962 to April 15, 1963, must follow the existing toponimy. The second point which appeared in this reform is the removal of Nyanza prefecture. Its great part formed the new prefecture of Gikongoro and the rest has been annexed to Gitarama and Butare prefectures. This also means that there is no archives related to the prefecture of Gikongoro between July 1, 1962 and April 15, 1963. Anyone who wants to know more about Gikongoro prefecture has to search in Nyanza prefecture.
From April 15, 1963 to July 31, 1975, there were other changes in the local administration by the creation of sectors, two municipalities in addition to the existing ones and the establishment of sub-prefectures. Sectors had been established by law (décret-loi) of 26 September 1974 by dividing the communes into geographical zones which were given the name of a sector but it was an administrative entity. Sectors was created as a strategy for commune councilors to monitor the problems of the people. As of November 10, 1975, each commune councilor has been given the authority to lead one of the sectors that were part of the commune. The sector manager was called a councilor. This level was based on the commune which has legal personality and had not its proper archives. They were conserved at commune level.
By the Organic Law n ° 29/2005 determining the administrative organs of the Republic of Rwanda has the administrative sector level has been strengthened. According to the reseach conducted in some sectors offices of Kigali City, this entity has not yet large number of documents. But considering the attributions that a sector level has today, it is good to think in adavance how its documents have to be preserved.
During the same period of 1963 and 1975, a decree was issued on April 7, 1975 establishing the “commune urbaine” of Nyarugenge in Kigali, the “commune urbaine of Ngoma in the prefecture fo Butare prefecture and the creation of the commune of Butamwa in Kigali. The communes of Kiyovu and Mukura, respectively in Kigali and Butare had been removed. Consequently, the number of communes has risen from 141 to 1431. At that time, at the prefecture level there was no change. However, by a decree-law of July 31, 1975 the subprefecture, as an administrative entity has been established. It has been in force since then to the reform of 2001.
From 1975, exception the continuous increasing subprefectures number, there was any other change in the structure of the local admnistration until 1990, when the Prefecture of the City of Kigali was created by the Law n ° 35/90 of 22 June 1990. Since then, the number of prefectures became 11, while 143 communes grow into 145, as the City of Kigali was made up of three communes, namely Nyarugenge, Kacyiru and Kimihurura.
By tables, this second chapter presents the prefectures or provinces, communes or districts and their authorities from July 1, 1962 to December 31, 2020 as well as the subprefecture and their leaders from 1975 to 2001 when they left. This information is categorized according to local authorities as described above. These categories are: