(l) Dr. Diane Gashumba appointed new Minister of Health chatting with Judith Kazayire new Governor of Eastern Province
After almost three months vacant, Rwanda’s powerful health ministry has a new boss.
Dr. Diane Gashumba has been appointed as new Minister of health in the latest cabinet reshuffle.
President Paul Kagame has also appointed 5 new members to the cabinet including; Esperance Nyirasafari for Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Vincent Munyeshyaka is new State Minister of Socio-economic development in Ministry of local government.
Other new appointments include; Evode Uwizeyimana for State Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs in Justice ministry- He was until two years ago a very vocal critic of government living in exile. He has been on the constitutional review commission.
Fulgence Nsengiyumva is State Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, and Isaac Munyakazi is State Minister of Primary and Secondary Education.
In the reshuffle, Ministry of East African Community has been merged with Ministry of Trade and Industry to form a new Ministry of Trade, Industry and East African Affairs now headed by François Kanimba. Innocent Safari is Permanent Secretary in this new Ministry. He replaces Emmanuel Hategeka who was appointed coordinator of Northern corridor project.
The shake-up has also been extended to local government dockets, Permanent Secretaries, diplomats and other government officials.
Odette Uwamariya has been promoted from Governor of Eastern province and appointed new Permanent Secretary in local government Ministry.
All but one of the four provincial governors were replaced. Northern Province governor Bosenibanwe Aimee has been dropped after serving up to six years as governor. A little-known mayor of Musanze District, which was in the same province, is new governor.
Provincial Governors include; Judith Kazayire for Eastern Province, Claude Musabyimana for Northern Province, Marie Rose Mureshyankwano for Western Province, and Alphonse Munyentwari for Southern province.
Valentine Rugwabiza is appointed Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.She replaces troubled ex-envoy Eugene Richard Gasana who has been recalled, but never surfaced in Kigali. Rugwabiza has been the East African Community minister – managing Rwanda’s delicate relations with its four neighbours who formed the EAC.
The long-serving Internal Security Minister Sheikh Musa Fazil Harelimana is out of cabinet, along with his entire ministry which has been in charge of the police and Correctional Services. Sheikh Harelimana has been in cabinet manning the same ministry since 2006. He had been sharing lengthy term of service with the premier, who was previously labour ministry boss.
Meanwhile, the Defense, Local Government, Infrastructure, Finance, Foreign Affairs and Sports ministries remained intact. Their respective holders have been given another nod by the appointing authority.
The current cabinet is made of 20 Ministers including the CEO of Rwanda Development Board and 10 state ministers. This brings the total number of cabinet members to be 30.
