Ruhago, cyangwa se umupira w’amaguru, ni umukino umaze imyaka myinshi ukinwa mu Rwanda, ugira uruhare runini mu buzima bw’Abanyarwanda. Nk’uko bavuga ko “Umuntu arapfa ntapfana n’umuhate,” na ruhago y’u Rwanda yagiye izamuka gahoro gahoro kugeza igeze ku rwego rushimishije. Uyu mukino watangiye gukinwa mu Rwanda mu ntangiriro z’ikinyejana cya 20, mu gihe cy’ubukoloni, aho abazungu bari bazanye umukino wa football nk’imwe mu myidagaduro.
By’umwihariko, abamisiyoneri n’abakoloni b’Ababiligi babaga i Nyanza, Butare n’i Kigali nibo batangije ikipe za mbere mu gihugu.
Mu myaka ya za 1930, hagiye havuka amakipe y’abanyarwanda n’abakorera abamisiyoneri, ndetse abana bigaga mu mashuri y’abihaye Imana barimo ab’i Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare n’abandi bo mu Iseminari ya Nyundo ni bamwe mu bayatangije.
Umupira wakinirwaga mu bibuga by’icyatsi, abandi bagakinira ku musenyi n’aho hari ibibuga biciriritse. Amakipe atandukanye nk’“Étoile de Kigali” cyangwa “Union Sportive” yaravuzwe cyane icyo gihe.
Amateka aratwigisha ko “Ak’imuhana kaza imvura ihise”, ariko ruhago yo mu Rwanda yaje gutera imbere cyane mu myaka ya nyuma ya 1960 ubwo igihugu cyari kimaze kubona ubwigenge. Muri icyo gihe, hatangiye kubaho shampiyona y’igihugu yitwaga “Championnat National” aho amakipe atandukanye aturuka mu duce dutandukanye yitabiraga.
Mu 1975, hashinzwe “Fédération Rwandaise de Football Association” (FERWAFA), ari na yo n’ubu ireberera iterambere ry’uyu mukino mu gihugu. FERWAFA yagize uruhare rukomeye mu gutegura amarushanwa, guteza imbere abakinnyi, ndetse no kongera ubushobozi bw’abatoza n’abasifuzi.
Mu Rwanda, byahoraga bivugwa ko “Urucira mukaso rugatwara nyoko,” kuko ikipe z’abaturanyi zari zihora zitwara ibikombe nyamara u Rwanda rutabasha kurenga ijanisha rimwe mu marushanwa ya Afurika.
Mu myaka ya za 1980 kugeza 1990, amakipe nka Kiyovu Sports, Rayon Sports na APR FC yatangiye kuvugwa cyane ku rwego rw’igihugu. Iri rushanwa ryakundwaga n’Abanyarwanda cyane, kugeza n’aho bigaragazaga ko umupira w’amaguru wabaye kimwe mu byubaka ubumwe n’ubusabane mu gihugu.
Bya bihe byaranzwe n’abakinnyi b’intarumikwa nka Kalisa Azizi, Bizimungu Abedi, na Rwahama. Icyo gihe, Rayon Sports yazamuraga urwego rwayo ku buryo yatangiye kwitabira amarushanwa ya CAF (Confederation of African Football).
Nyuma ya Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi mu 1994, igihugu cyari cyashegeshwe cyane, ariko ruhago yabaye kimwe mu byubakiyeho ubumwe n’ubwiyunge. Ikipe ya APR FC, yashinzwe ku mugaragaro muri 1993, yabaye imbarutso y’ihangana rishingiye ku bushobozi, aho yagiye isinyisha abakinnyi bakomeye kandi inegukana ibikombe byinshi. Rayon Sports, yo ituruka i Nyanza ariko igakinira i Kigali, yakomeje kugaragaza ko ifite abafana benshi kandi bafite umuco wo gukunda ikipe yabo “n’ubwo bwira bwakwira ntibabure mu kibuga”.
Abanyarwanda bagiye babona amahirwe yo gutwara ibikombe bitandukanye, yaba mu makipe cyangwa se ikipe y’igihugu “Amavubi.” Mu mwaka wa 2004, ikipe y’igihugu yageze ku nshuro ya mbere mu mateka ku mikino y’igikombe cya Afurika (AFCON), cyabereye muri Tuniziya.
Ibi byari intambwe ikomeye, ndetse bituma abantu benshi batangira kubona ko “Iyo nyoni itangiye gutera igi, ntabwo iba ikiri isazi.” Amavubi yitwaye neza, itsinda ikipe ya DR Congo, ikanganya na Guinée, ariko ntiyabasha kurenga itsinda.
Nubwo ikipe y’igihugu itakunze kugira amahirwe menshi yo gutsinda ibikombe bikomeye, ariko hari abakinnyi bayo bagiye berekana impano idasanzwe. Abo twavuga harimo Jimmy Gatete, watsinze igitego cy’intsinzi cyafashije Amavubi kugera muri AFCON, Olivier Karekezi wabaye kapiteni igihe kinini, n’abandi nka Haruna Niyonzima na Jacques Tuyisenge bagiye bakinira n’amakipe akomeye hanze y’u Rwanda.
Ruhago yo mu Rwanda yagiye izamuka ku buryo na shampiyona nyarwanda, izwi nka “Primus National League” cyangwa “Rwanda Premier League” yahinduye isura. Isoko ry’abakinnyi ryagiye ritera imbere, abakinnyi benshi bava mu bihugu bitandukanye birimo Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, ndetse n’abaturanyi nka Uganda na Burundi baza gukina hano.
Nk’uko umugani uvuga ngo “Uwambaye ikirezi ntamenya ko kimumurikira”, u Rwanda rwakomeje guteza imbere ruhago rutaramenya agaciro k’impano z’abana bato, ariko ubu hagiye habaho amarerero (academies) nka APR Academy, Intare FC, Vision FC n’izindi.
Imikino ya gishuti, igikombe cya CECAFA ndetse n’amarushanwa ya CAF Champions League yabaye amahirwe yo kwigaragaza ku makipe y’u Rwanda. APR FC, Rayon Sports na Police FC ni zimwe mu zatangiye kwitabira ibi bigaragara nk’intambwe yo kwagura impano no gutuma ruhago y’u Rwanda irushaho kumenyekana. Ariko nanone, hari icyuho cyagiye kigaragara mu miyoborere, amikoro adahagije y’amakipe menshi ndetse no kuba abaterankunga bacye bagikunda kurebera kure.
Kuva mu 2010 kugeza uyu munsi, ruhago yakomeje kuzamuka gahoro gahoro. Hari amahugurwa ku batoza, kongera ibibuga nk’iya Kigali Pele Stadium, ndetse no gushora imari mu mikino y’abagore.
Ikipe y’igihugu y’abagore, yiswe “She-Amavubi,” yatangiye gutera imbere n’ubwo urugendo rwayo rutaraba rurerure. Abanyarwanda barasigaye bayitabira ku bwinshi, ndetse n’imbuga nkoranyambaga zatumye amakipe n’abakinnyi bamenyekana kurushaho.
Nk’uko bavuga ngo “Iyo uvuye i Burayi uhindukirira iwanyu,” ruhago y’u Rwanda igomba kongerwa ubushobozi kugira ngo ihangane ku rwego rw’akarere no ku rwego mpuzamahanga.
Urebye neza, ruhago mu Rwanda si umukino gusa; ni urusobe rw’ubuzima, umuco, ubukungu n’ubusabane. Guhuza abafana mu myambaro ya Rayon Sports cyangwa APR, gukoresha amagambo y’imitoma nka “Gikundiro,” “Intare z’igihugu,” cyangwa “Abanyamujyi,” byose bigaragaza uruhare rukomeye uyu mukino ugira mu buzima bwa buri munsi. “Iyo imvura iguye ku rutare, igashyira ku musenyi,” ni ko bizagenda ku Rwanda narwo rutangiye gukanguka, rukanazamura impano zarwo. Ruhago ifite ubushobozi bwo kugera kure, ariko bisaba ubufatanye bw’inzego zitandukanye: leta, abikorera, itangazamakuru, ndetse n’abafana ubwabo.
Uko imyaka yicuma, ni ko rugendo rw’uyu mukino rugenda rugira amabara. Ariko nk’uko bavuga ngo “Inzovu ebyiri zirwanira mu kibaya, ariko amahoro aturuka ku bwenge,” ni ngombwa ko uruhare rw’abantu bose rugaragarira mu kubaka ruhago idasubira inyuma. Ruhago si igikoresho cy’ibihe, ni ubuzima bw’ahazaza.
