Mpayimana Philippe wants to be leader of Rwanda
A Rwandan man living in France has announced he will be coming to Rwanda to run in the August presidential elections – making him the fourth to show interest in the country’s highest office.
Mpayimana Philippe, 47, a former journalist at the state broadcaster in the early 1990s, is currently a teacher at a high school, also first declared his plan 3years ago. On Sunday, he announced in a YouTube video that he planned to return to Rwanda soon.
Mpayimana’s announcement follows that of incumbent Paul Kagame made in a new year speech back in 2015. Others are Frank Habineza of the green party.
Another is a former catholic priest Father Thomas Nahimana who was removed from the Rwanda church by his superiors over continued denial of the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. He has openly called for “Hutu uprising” against the RPF government of “Tutsis”.
Nahimana in November last year attempted to return to Rwanda from France where he has been living for past 11years. He was reportedly denied from boarding plane to Kigali in Nairobi by carrier Kenya Airways – acting on “directive from Rwanda”.
However, President Paul Kagame, speaking later said he believed Nahimana should have been let into the country. Nahimana has genocide revisionism cases for which the judiciary should be waiting to pursue him, said Kagame at an RPF party congress.
The presidential elections will take place on Friday August 4, 2017.
