Whoever the people will democratically choose as their leader come 2017 must be prepared to guarantee three things that are most important to Rwandans: security, socio-economic progress, and freedoms and self-determination.

These priorities were outlined by President Paul Kagame during a news conference in Kigali, yesterday, with the President saying that the people of Rwanda do not expect anything less from whoever they will pick as their leader in two years.

He said these factors will be at the heart of next presidential elections, explaining that the people of Rwanda have had more than enough insecurity and were now looking forward to the future with expectation.

Kagame did not rule himself out as the person the electorate may decide to stick with come 2017, a scenario that can only be possible if Article 101 of the Constitution that allows only two seven-year presidential terms is amended to allow the incumbent to seek re-election.

However, while the President reiterated that the decision rests entirely in the hands of the people, he did mention that, personally, he hitherto belonged to the school of thought that upholds term limits as stipulated in the 2003 Constitution.

"I have not asked anyone to change the constitution and I have not told anybody how or what to think about 2017,” Kagame said, adding that proponents of constitutional amendment will need to convince everyone concerned, including himself, that extending his leadership beyond 2017 was the best thing for the country.

Stating that the debate about the presidential term limits was initiated by non-Rwandans outside the country years back, Kagame urged a healthy, constructive and open debate about the issue inside the country for the common good.

"I am open to going or not going depending on the interest and future of this country,” he said, underscoring that the people of Rwanda are the ultimate deciders.

War on genocide ideology, denial

Meanwhile, President Kagame said the best way to tackle genocide ideology and denial is by looking at the bigger picture and attending to the real issues faced by those most affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

He said genocide ideology will not easily go away, but rather than people concentrating on the politics that come with it, it is better to deal with the real issues.

His remarks come less than a week to the week during which the country will officially observe the 21st commemoration of the Genocide, which starts April 7. The period will be marked under a theme that focused on the fight against genocide ideology and denial or minimizing of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"You will always have people on the wrong side of this issue, because they have been there, even before the Genocide…we need to keep doing the best we can do to transform lives and deal with issues that have affected people so deeply,” said the Head of State.

Regional security

Commenting about the issue of regional security in the wake of yesterday’s horrific attacks on a university in north-eastern Kenya by suspected al-Shabaab gunmen, the Head of State said that such unfortunate incidents were a stark reminder that countries in the region needed to work more closely to combat security threats.

By press time, the death toll from the attack on Garrissa University College had reached 147 with dozens others wounded. Somali-based al-Shabaab terror group with links to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.

"The idea of the region working together closely is pertinent to us,” he said, noting the progress that had already been made through the creation of the East African Standby Force, a rapid reaction force drawn from 10 countries in the region.

President Kagame also spoke about the bilateral relations between Rwanda and Tanzania, which started warming up earlier this year with the two countries’ leaders hosting each other in their respective capitals, and taking steps to work together in seemingly reinvigorated Central Corridor projects, including a railway line that would link Rwanda to Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port.

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