President Paul Kagame has expressed concern over the failures in the energy sector saying the Infrastructure Ministry and Rwanda Development Board were ‘humiliatingly’ responsible.
He made the remarks during the 12th National Leadership Retreat taking place at Gabiro RDF Combat Training Center in East Rwanda.
Kagame said that the two institutions had failed to execute Gishoma power project that would generate 15MW of electricity but this wasn’t possible allegedly due to technical failures.
It was found that technicians did not discover that a single water channel was need for the project to operate.
Responding to the President, Infrastructure Minister, James Musoni said, “We have rectified it.”
In response, President Kagame told Minister Musoni, “Imagine…you simply do something and can’t discover it needs water…even those residents could have done it better than you.”
“If you are not doing what is expected…listen more to the one who criticizes you and less to one who praises you. That’s when you do better,” Kagame advised.
President Kagame said RDB and Infrastructure Ministry had failed to execute Gishoma power project
An emotional Kagame told a fully packed audience, “This is a serious matter I want all of us to address. It’s the young people, it’s the old, it’s those who think they know everything in this World, but you finally discover they think the same.”
Gishoma peat energy project would generate power to serve CIMERWA- Rwanda’s only cement factory.
Rwanda’s only Cement Producer CIMERWA is struggling with 100,000 metric tons per year yet the country needs 400,000 metric tons.
The country spends $140M to import an extra 300,000 metric tons from neighbouring Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
However, Eric Gisore, CIMERWA production manager told KTPress that the factory is undergoing extention works to increase production to 600,000 metric tons by end of this year.
In another twist, President Kagame strongly warned government officials that are increasingly resorting to serving individual interests.
“You are just lost in your selves.” “It’s just scattered individuals who are interested in their individual businesses,” an angry Kagame said.
He warned, “Stealing resources is a crime and justice must be done. There is no hesitation about it.”
RDB Chief Executive Officer Francis Gatare.
The president regretted why members of his government neglect some serious projects and commitments for development of their country and focusing on selfish interests that cost the lives of Rwandans.
“If what you are doing is to the detriment of the people you are leading, justice must be done,” President Kagame warned.
Kagame who was pointing at every individual leader, blamed some leaders that always seek scholarships to go for further studies however, return and do nothing.
“You are educated but what does you being educated bring to the people,” He cautioned that; “If you are not doing what is expected of you, it doesn’t matter how educated you are.”
For President Kagame, issues facing leaders in Rwanda originate from one thing, “The challenges we have as Rwanda and the context in which we operate are completely different from what we see elsewhere.”
