The Rundi of Uganda

The Rundi of Uganda, numbering approximately 111,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Kirundi-speaking community of Uganda formed largely by refugees fleeing Burundi's long civil war and recurring political violence, part of the broader Great Lakes displacement that has made Uganda host to one of Africa's largest refugee populations. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Rundi is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Burundian

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Uganda
People Cluster: Bantu, Central-Lakes
Primary Language(s): Rundi (run)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 111,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG015132
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Rundi of Uganda

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

66%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Rundi
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Rundi Speakers

Media Resources in Rundi:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Rundi:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2007 Bible Society of Burundi✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Rundi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Rundi are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Rundi:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Rundi of Uganda

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
readMatthew 6:7-8

Pray that those who don't have a relationship with their Creator will come to know a God who hears their every need, freeing them from empty rituals and drawing them into a real, trusting relationship with Him.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."
readIsaiah 1:18

Pray that God will make a way for the gospel to reach many through means they can understand and access, that they will receive the good news with joy, and that they will experience complete forgiveness and cleansing from their sin that Jesus offers through His sacrifice.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
readDeuteronomy 6:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and might, as they strive to live lives that honor and glorify Him.

For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
readActs 13:47

Pray that as people come to faith, they will follow the Lord's leading to go to their neighbors and share the treasure they found in Christ.

Hutu Across Countries (ROP3 - 103926) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

6 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulationStrategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion ▼
RundiRundiBurundi14,330,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiKenya61,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiRwanda726,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiUganda111,000Engaged yet UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiTanzania674,000Unengaged and UnreachedRundiRoman Catholicism
RundiRundiCanada3,800No Longer UnreachedRundiProtestantism

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

Scroll to Top