President Paul Kagame on why Rwandan officials are frequently replaced

President Paul Kagame addresses the newly appointed officials during the swearing-in ceremony at Village Urugwiro on Wednesday, June 17. (Photo: Village Urugwiro)

By The New Times
Thursday, June 18, 2026

According to the President, such cases are often handled with patience at first, as officials are given opportunities to correct mistakes and improve performance.

President Paul Kagame has said that frequent changes of government officials are often the result of repeated failures to deliver on their responsibilities.

He said this on Wednesday, June 17, during the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Cabinet members and other officials at Village Urugwiro.

“You can sit down with an official, agree on a plan, they even share their ideas, you approve everything needed, and after, let’s say six months, when you follow up, you find that the person responsible does not even know where the process stands,” Kagame said.

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He said a key challenge is a culture where people do not listen, seek solutions or even correct mistakes.

The President noted that if these recurring issues were not there, replacements would happen less often.

“Whenever challenges arise in your work, there is always a way to resolve them if you are willing to work together, with those you lead and with other institutions. No problem should defeat us. If we are unable to solve one immediately, we should understand why, secure the necessary resources, strengthen our capacity, and return to solve it,” Kagame said.

The officials who took the oath of office on Wednesday include Damien Murwanashyaka, the Minister of Infrastructure, Antoine-Marie Kajangwe, Minister of Trade and Industry, Armand Zingiro, Minister of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure, and Col Claudien Bizimungu, also Minister of State in the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Other officials are James Wizeye, Deputy Secretary General of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Judith Mbabazi, Deputy Ombudsperson in charge of Preventing and Fighting Injustice, and CP Theos Badege, Deputy Commissioner General of the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS).

Kagame urged the new officials to put the interests and well-being of citizens before their own personal interests.