Salama Uwamurera and Juvenal Nkusi. The no-nonsense legislator bounced back, this time in the Senate.
He is remembered for grilling public officials relentlessly during the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearings in Parliament for failing to account for or mismanaging public funds until he decided to bow out after 24 years in the legislative assembly.
But last year, Juvenal Nkusi, 64, decided not to appear on the list of parliamentary candidates presented by his party, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), opting to pave way for much younger candidates to take over. For more than two decades, he had been the face of Parliament.
The veteran lawmaker has bounced back to Parliament, this time in the upper chamber following his nomination by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organisations (NFPO) as one of the two candidates, together with Salama Uwamurera, sent by political parties to the senate.
The nomination, pending confirmation by the Supreme Court, is as good as done, with sources confirming to KT Press that his nomination by the parties was agreed upon anonymously in reward to his many years of ‘diligent, unwavering service’.
“Today, 19th September 2019, the NFPO elected its candidates to the Senate. The elected candidates to be confirmed by the Supreme Court are Mrs UWAMURERA Salama from Ideal Democratic Party (PDI) and Mr NKUSI Juvenal from Social Democratic Party (PSD)” the forum announced on Twitter.
“The duo will present their credentials to the Supreme Court for approval,” an additional statement by the political parties’ forum indicates.
Nkusi and Uwamurera will replace outgoing Senators Perrine Mukankusi and Fatou Harerimana who have completed their mandate while two more candidates will be nominated by the forum next year to replace Jeanne d’ Arc Mukakalisa and Charles Uyisenga who still have one year left on their 8-year mandate.
The nomination of the duo followed senatorial elections in other spheres to pick candidates to fill up the 26-seat upper chamber of parliament, with the academia being the latest to elect representatives.
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) years released the results of the senatorial elections in the academia, with Prof. Cyprien Niyomugabo, the Dean of the University of Rwanda’s College of Education, winning the nod from public institutions while Prof. Ephrem Kanyarukiga pipped his peers to the senatorial, not for independent tertiary institutions and researchers.
These add to Provincial and City of Kigali Senate Representatives who have already been elected, with the Southern Province electing Adrien Umuhire, Pélagie Uwera and Innocent Nkurunziza while Fulgence Nsengiyumva, John-Bosco Bideri and Georges Mupenzi emerging winners in Eastern Province.
The Northern Province elected Laetitia Nyinawamwiza and Faustin Habineza while Western Province elected former Governor Marie-Rose Mureshyankwano, Emmanuel Havugimana and Lambert Dushimimana. The city of Kigali will be represented by William Ntidendereza.
Only Presidential appointees are remaining to complete the third senate, which the highest chamber of parliament.
The Rwandan Senate is comprised of 26 members with the President appointing 8 Senators while 12 Senators are elected through at the provincial local government level. Four Senate members are sent by the Political Parties through the forum while two are picked by public and private institutions.
