Kamonyi FC (former Pepiniere FC) enrolled in the 2023-2024 Rwandan Second Division, which has just started

On the 31st of October 2023, the Rwandan Football Federation (FERWAFA) announced that 28 clubs have been licensed and will participate in the 2023-2024 Rwandan Second Division, set to start on 4 November 2023. The teams have been divided into two groups, Group A and Group B, each of them comprising 14 teams.

Kamonyi FC is one of the teams enrolled, and it is for the first time that this team appears in the Rwandan Second Division. They are in fact the former Pepiniere FC team, which moved to Kamonyi District some years ago, and used the Kamonyi-Rugando Stadium as their home ground, but continued to use the name Pepiniere FC until 2021, when they last competed in the Rwandan Second Division. Their best performance was in 2015-2016, when they won the Rwandan Second Division, and promoted to the Rwandan Premier League. However, in the 2016-2017 Rwandan Premier League, due to the lack of financial resources, they classified last and were relegated back to the Second Division. Pepiniere FC competed in the Rwandan Second Division under president Munyankumburwa Jean Marie, who took all the major decisions regarding the club, including the move to Kamonyi. After a rather disappointing 2020-2021 season, the club was not enrolled in any competition. In 2022, Pepiniere FC tried to enroll in the 2022-2023 Rwandan Second Division, but their request was denied by FERWAFA because the club did not bring all the documents properly completed. Also in 2022 there were talks (which surfaced in mass-media) about changing the name of the club from Pepinere FC to Kamonyi FC, so that it officially become the football club of Kamonyi District. These talks apparently finalized in 2023, and Kamonyi FC has been licensed and enrolled in the 2023-2024 Rwandan Second Division.

In the first round of the 2023-2024 Rwandan Second Division, Group A, on Saturday, 4 November 2023, Kamonyi FC played away and lost 1-0 to Intare FC.

Full results of the first round of the Second Division (4-5 November 2023):

Group A

Spring Hope - Aspor FC 1-0

Intare FC - Kamonyi FC 1-0

La Jeunesse - UR Huye FC 2-0

Vision JN - Addax SC 0-0

Nyanza FC - Tsinda Batsinde 2-0

Rutsiro FC - Gasabo United 1-0

City Boys - Unity FC 1-1

Group B

Vision FC - Espoir FC 2-1

Impeesa FC - Esperance FC 2-3

Interforce FC - Miroplast FC 2-1

Nyagatare FC - Ivoire Olympique 2-3

Gicumbi FC - The Winners 2-1

United Stars - AS Muhanga 3-3

Sorwathe FC - Akagera FC 0-1