Kagame Makes 2nd Government Reshuffle In 2013

President Paul Kagame yesterday made a mini-cabinet reshuffle that has seen some ministers dropped and new faces assuming bigger roles in the ministries of Justice, Infrastructure, and Cabinet affairs.

A communication from the Prime Minister’s Office on May 24, 2013, stated that Minister of Justice Tharcisse Karugarama is replaced by Busingye Johnson who has for long served in the justice sector and is currently a Principal Judge of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) based in Arusha, Tanzania. His term expires this June 26.

In a similar way, another major change also saw Stella Ford Mugabo who has been in charge of the Public Sector Capacity Building Secretariat (PSCBC) replaces Protais Musoni as Minister for Cabinet affairs.

James Kimonyo, the former Rwandan ambassador to the US, will also assume the job of Director of Cabinet in Prime Minister’s office replacing Eugene Barikana who has also served for a long time in various government positions and was barely two years in his previous position at the Premiers’ office.

The Ministry of Infrastructure also got a new Permanent Secretary, Christian Rwankunda, who replaces James Kamanzi. Rwankunda has been in charge of policy and planning in the same ministry.

In the same reshuffle announcement, Rwanda’s envoys to Burundi, Sweden and Switzerland have been recalled.

the envoys are: Augustin Habimana – Burundi, Venantie Sebudandi – Sweden and Solina Nyirahabimana – Switzerland.

The announcement didn’t indicate what and where the dropped officials will be doing next, but President Paul Kagame has on several occasions been quoted as saying that changes are way of making his team stronger, and effective and whoever is assigned can be reassigned depending on where the team needs them most.

This is the second cabinet reshuffle made by Kagame in 2013. The previous one was in February 2013 in which he (Kagame) reshuffled his Cabinet bringing on new entrants on his team (in the ministry of Finance and Infrastructure), as well as creating new portfolios in health, education and natural resources ministries.