Africa-Press – Rwanda. President Paul Kagame has reminded members of the Cabinet to serve Rwandans selflessly and prioritise national interests over personal gain.
The Head of State made the remarks on Monday, October 6, during the swearing-in ceremony at Village Urugwiro for Juvenal Marizamunda, the Minister of Defence, and Consolée Uwimana, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, as well as the newly appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Yves Iradukunda.
While the rest of the Cabinet was sworn in on July 25, after the appointment of Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva, the reappointed ministers, Marizamunda and Uwimana, were out of the country on official duties. Iradukunda, on the other hand, was appointed as Minister of State in the Ministry of ICT and Innovation on September 18.
The President noted that taking the oath of office is customary for Cabinet members.
“However,” Kagame said, “there are always certain things that people must continue to repeat and reflect on. Having responsibilities means fulfilling them properly, for several reasons.”
“What we do is for Rwandans, for our country. Of course, we are part of it, but we don’t work for ourselves. We work to bring progress to others. And when that happens, when the country succeeds, we too benefit from it.”
The Head of State added that people should not accept responsibilities just to serve their personal interests.
The first thing to consider is the interests of Rwandans, that’s the foundation of everything, he said.
“The next important thing is knowledge. You must know what you are doing. Knowledge plays a role, but people often confuse it. Some think that knowledge alone is enough. It isn’t.”
Defence Minister Juvenal Marizamunda, Gender Minister Consolee Uwimana and State Minister for ICT and Innovation Yves Iradukunda during the swearing-in ceremony at Village Urugwiro on Monday, October 6,
Kagame went on to note that having knowledge and the willingness to serve is not enough.
“But that approach is self-centered; it doesn’t serve the country’s broader responsibilities,” he said.
He said the Ministries of Defence, ICT and Innovation, and Family and Gender Promotion are interconnected and represent essential pillars of Rwanda’s development, namely security, technology, and family, which he said are the foundations of the country’s progress.
“We all know where our country has come from, where it is today, and where we want it to go,” he said.
“Every sector, every institution is part of that journey, and along the way, there are lessons we must keep learning. But we should not keep repeating the same mistakes, because when that happens, responsibilities lose their meaning.”
“People make mistakes and that’s human. But when you keep repeating the same mistakes, that becomes another problem. It becomes an illness that must be treated one way or another.”
People are not meant to make mistakes endlessly; when you make one, you learn from it and move forward, the President added.
“Many of the problems we face do not come from outside. They come from within us. If you do not confront and overcome your own weaknesses, they will keep recurring and eventually harm not just one person, but all Rwandans.”
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