Serving Rwandans is an honor that shouldn't be taken for granted - Kagame

President Paul Kagame has told the country's leaders that serving Rwandans is both a source of pride and honour that they should not waste and instead deliver what the people expect of them.

The Head of State made the comments after the Swearing Ceremony of new Senators and a number of other officials.

20 Senators were sworn in on Thursday, along with the CEO of the Rwanda Governance Board Dr. Usta Kayitesi, her Deputy Dr Emmanuel Nibishaka and Maj Gen Emmanuel Bayingana who was sworn in as the Air Force Chief of Staff.

"This is an opportunity you should use well because what encompasses that opportunity are responsibilities that go far beyond just fulfilling your role in that position, just doing your work. Your responsibility has to do with giving Rwandans what they expect of us, which includes decision making that benefits all Rwandans, and emphasizing the unity of our country. You, therefore, understand that this is nothing routine, technical approaches with people just adding or subtracting and that's it. It's much more than that." President Kagame said. 

4 of the Senators that were sworn in were appointed by the President of the Republic himself, 2 were appointed by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations, 12 came from the country's Provinces and 2 were elected out of the country's Universities, both Private and Public.

President Paul Kagame thanked the outgoing Senators for their hard work and urged the incoming ones to use their extensive experience to help transform the lives of ordinary Rwandans.

The head of state said, "The Rwandans that expect a lot from you believe you will use what you have to transform their welfare for the better. It will require you to go to those people and truly understand how they live and the challenges they face so that you may present solutions or advice of how they can be addressed and whatever else that may become necessary."

The New Senate President Dr. Augustin Iyamuremye and his 2 Deputies; Esperance Nyirasafari and Dr. Alvera Mukabaramba, were also elected and after being sworn in, the Senate President vowed to ensure that the Institution fulfills its duties.

"The Senate we have now entered has matured. Those who came before us in the 2 Mandates that preceded this one set many goals and achieved them. It will not be easy to surpass that, but we do not have a right to perform less than that. I, therefore, believe that if we work hard and work together, realizing that we are serving the country, we could surpass that milestone." Iyamuremye said. 

President Kagame emphasized that security and good governance are key to success and that even though there are those in charge of this, it is everyone's responsibility to give their input.

"All we do is based on security and good governance, and that is the responsibility of all people, all of us, regardless of the Institutions we work in, even though there are those charged with those specific responsibilities. The fact is, we all complement each other. So even though we have security organs, the responsibility of security falls on all of us: those who were sworn in, those who did not, those in this building, the parliament, and beyond. Good Politics always include good governance that we all have, a role we should have, that is what has got us this far and I believe that even though we have not yet arrived at our destination, we are on a good path. It is therefore necessary that we continue to instill these things in us, own them and put the maximum effort." Kagame added. 

The 20 Senators that have been sworn in will now serve for a mandate of 5 years, and another 6 will conclude their mandate next year and be replaced by 4 others appointed by the President of the Republic and another 2 appointed by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations.

The previous 2 Mandates lasted 8 years each and Senators could only serve once. However, following the Amendment of the Country's Constitution in 2015, a Senator can now serve a maximum of 2 five year Mandates.