Etoile de l’Est have appointed Mbarushimana Shaban as their new head coach on a two-year contract ahead of their return to Rwanda’s top-flight football league, the BK Pro League.
The Ngoma-based club announced the appointment as they prepare for the 2026/27 season after securing promotion back to the top division.
Mbarushimana joins Etoile de l’Est after coaching AS Kigali during the 2025/26 season. Under his leadership, AS Kigali finished 14th in the 18-team league, recording eight wins, 11 draws and 15 defeats, while scoring 27 goals and conceding 39.
His time at AS Kigali also ended with a quarter-final exit in the Peace Cup, where the club was eliminated by Gorilla FC after a 2-2 aggregate draw, with Gorilla advancing on the away-goals rule.
Etoile de l’Est earned promotion after initially missing out in the promotion play-offs, where they finished third behind Sunrise FC and Unity FC. The club later received a top-flight spot after Unity FC, which had finished second, withdrew from promotion.
The club returns to the BK Pro League after spending two seasons in the second division and has turned to Mbarushimana as it seeks to establish itself among Rwanda’s elite football clubs.
