Mukantagara Edith proposes for an Institute of Good Governance to be named after President Kagame
Rwanda may soon begin sharing its magic on how it has managed to beat all odds and transform into a prosperous country within a short time after genocide against Tutsi in 1994.
A senior citizen has proposed that the country should consider establishing “Kagame Institute of Good Governance.”
The elderly Mukantagara Edith in her 70s travelled from Uganda to attenda the National Dialogue – Umushyikirano observed that the past regimes in Rwanda despised citizens.
She said but President Paul Kagame has changed this course and, not only are citizens thankful, but other nations are increasingly seeking to learn from Rwanda because of unprecedented leadership of Kagame.
“Why can’t we start an institute and name it Kagame Institute of Good Governance or in French, l’Institut de Bonne Gouvernance Paul Kagame,” she said.
She said, what he has been sharing with other nations should be recorded to create a good governance syllabus or actually a program, “so that in the future, it makes an institute where many will come to learn from.”
Since he became president in 2003, President Kagame has been conferred upon several honorary doctorates to recognize his role in transforming Rwanda and good governance. “Why don’t we include this on his titles?” Mukantagara asked.
These include, but are not limited to, in July this year, a doctorate of laws by the Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia.
In 2003, he was conferred the Global Leadership Award by the Young Presidents’ Organization(YPO), while in 2005, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Oklahoma Christian University in the USA.
Kagame was in 2009 honoured with the Clinton Global Citizen Award in recognition of his leadership in public service that has improved the lives of people of Rwanda.
Besides several awards, countries or individuals abroad have named infrastructures after President Kagame, to indicate how they were inspired by his unique leadership.
This would include a hotel in Dar-es-Salam that was named ‘Hotel Kagame’. In Malawi, one street was also named after President Kagame.
However, sportspeople have named two tournaments after the president, including an international football competition-CECAFA Kagame Cup, and back home, Umurenge Kagame Cup.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded President Kagame with the 2010 IOC award for ‘Inspiring Young People’ around the world.
Back home, there has not been any infrastructure named after the President.
Meanwhile, Mukantagara spoke after several people who commended good governance, a pro-people government where the poor get cows for free in One Cow per family program.
Others in this platform where men and women from all works of life make suggestions how the country can develop, said they can’t wait for the next presidential polls scheduled on August 3-4 to vote for him, if he runs for the next 7 year constitutional term.
