President Paul Kagame has told Rwandans that the country is stable and as a matter of fact, the country is now being measured with global indicators where it comes among the top.
During the state of the nation address at National Dialogue council-Umushyikirano, which started today, Kagame said that “You have seen a couple of days ago, the gender indicators showed that we are in the top ten in promoting gender globally.”
The president said that at some point, ranking institutions, apparently tend to rank Rwanda backward, otherwise, “we should be in top five.”
“Anywhere, that means there is still a long way to go, to be in the top five. We have moved from sixth to ninth position,” Kagame said.
The president talked about several other indicators where Rwanda is performing quite well, including in the World Bank Doing Business Report where Rwanda ranked second in Africa and 38 in the world.
The president took a lengthy time to share his take on two points; security and relocation of families from High risk zones and swamps.
Ministers Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba and Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya
On Security, the president said that the country is stable, though for the last two years or so, some elements wanted to sabotage it.
“In the news, you always see people who were arrested in such activities. Some do not get that chance to be arrested, but well, we put them where they choose to go,” the President said insinuating the case of some armed groups that in the past, infiltrated in Rwanda, killing some innocent civilians in Musanze and Nyaruguru districts respectively.
Minister Johnston Busingye(R) discussing with Governor of Eastern Province, Fred Mufukye
Some of these elements were arrested, others killed on spot.
On the case of relocation from the high risk zones, mainly the marshland, the president took time to show his stand.
A new trend has seen people being pushed to relocate from wetlands, to establish their houses in safe areas.
Dr Richard Sezibera, former Min of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
Those who resisted saw their buildings demolished and given temporary shelter as the country is seeking permanent solution.
The president’s take is that, it’s unfortunate that the disasters affect people in normal residential areas and those in areas that are not designated for residence.
For the president, there should be no discussion as of whether these people should vacate from the wetland.
“People are not being relocated by government, but disasters which are costing them lives. We don’t have control over the landslides, the floods,” he said.
The president is however of a concern, that local leaders watch them dwell in the wetlands, and even, give them land titles.
He said they will explain how that works. During Umushyikirano, the president said that Rwanda protects all its citizen, even those who made mistakes to establish houses in the wetland, but they do not deserve compensation.
The president said, the exercise to relocate these families is not being well explained.
Kagame requested the young generation to avoid the culture of covering up the mistakes of others among leaders of in Rwandan offices/institutions.
More to follow
